Plan to revamp Inverness city centre's Station Quarter

Inverness' bus and railway stations could be redeveloped to become a new public transport hub.

Highland Council has proposed formally working with Network Rail and regional transport body Hitrans on the plans for the neighbouring city centre sites.

In a report, the local authority said the bus station and nearby Rose Street multi-storey car park could no longer adequately cope with vehicle numbers.

It said a revamp of what the council calls the Station Quarter had been a long-time vision and if improvements finally went ahead they could be "transformational" for the city.

The proposals are to be discussed at a meeting next week.

In their report, Highland Council officers said the existing bus station and multi-storey needed to be replaced.

They said the station's seven stances were having to be doubled up for use as 14 due to the number of buses now arriving and departing from the site.

The officials said the situation meant the station was failing to meet accessibility standards and safety and efficiency were also affected.

Meanwhile, Rose Street car park has required expensive repairs to keep it going.