2022 Town Centre Health Checks

'Town Centre Health Checks' (TCHCs) are prepared by Local Authorities to monitor the strength and vitality of town centres across Scotland. Indicators such as accessibility, community, property, activities and the physical environment are recommended assessment measures; all of which contribute towards the 'health' of a town centre.

The last Town Centre Health Check undertaken by the Highland Council was published in 2018 and can be accessed  here . Since then, there have been significant social, economic and political changes such as the COVID-19 Pandemic and the UK's exit from the European Union. It is important to monitor how town centres across the Highlands have been, and continue to be, affected by these events.

Data was collected throughout Summer 2022, via on-site assessments of Inverness City Centre and 14 other town centres which are in the Highland Council's Local Development Plans. Following on from the 2018 study, town centre health indicators such as Vacancy Rates and Use Classifications were assessed, alongside several measures which were not included last time such as Footfall and Public Perceptions. This data will be used by the Highland Council in their continued town centre monitoring efforts, local development and policy making.

Collective summaries have been produced to allow for a quick and easy overview of results; each of these highlight vacancy rates, qualitative ratings, public perceptions, use classifications and physical condition assessments.

Click a button below to access a collective summary:

Full Town Centre Health Check reports have been produced for each sub-area of Inverness City Centre, and each of the other town centres included in this study/ These explore retail audits, qualitative ratings, public toilets facilities, footfall and public perceptions.

Click a button below to access full town centre health check reports:

This section outlines the Study Extent for the Highland Council's 2022 Town Centre Health Checks.

Please scroll down or select a heading to explore:

•  Inverness City Centre 
•  Highland 

In 2018, the Inverness City Centre study extent used the boundaries set out in the  Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan (2015) . The 2018 boundary was divided into seven sub-divided areas, which can be seen to the right.

Please expand the map to view the Map Legend and the name of each sub-area.

For the 2022 study, Inverness City Centre extent consists of updated boundaries, as set out in the  Inverness City Centre Development Brief (2017) . The boundary has been sub-divided into five core areas, based on the varying character, primary functions and geography of the City Centre.

Please expand the map to the right to view the Map Legend and the name of each sub-area.

Retail Audit data capture was also carried out for the City's three main Retail Parks, namely:

• Inverness Shopping and Business Park
• Inshes Retail Park
• Telford Retail Park

These were not included in the quantitative analysis of Inverness City Centre (e.g. Vacancy Rates etc.).

A collective report for Inverness Retail Parks, detailing the results from the retail audit, can be found in the  Inverness Collection .

14 other town centres, which are in the Highland Council's Local Development Plans, were selected for Health Checks on the basis of either having populations <3,000 or for their importance in a local context. These are:

 Alness ,  Beauly ,  Brora ,  Dingwall ,  Dornoch ,  Fort William ,  Golspie ,  Invergordon ,  Nairn ,  Portree ,  Tain ,  Thurso ,  Ullapool  and  Wick 

Each town centre's boundary is as they have been defined in the  Proposed Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2  (2022 Draft), the  Caithness and Sutherland Local Development Plan  (2018) and the  West Highlands and Islands Local Development Plan  (2019). 

This section outlines the Methodology for the Highland Council's 2022 Town Centre Health Checks.

Please scroll down or select a heading to explore:

•  Retail Audit 
•  Qualitative Ratings 
•  Public Toilets 
•  Footfall 
•  Public Perceptions 

GPS equipped mobile phones were used to capture data for all ground floor retail/business units in each town centre. The 2018 audit was used as a baseline for 2022, allowing surveyors to determine whether each unit had undergone change (e.g. different business name, occupant, use classification etc.), or remained the same since the last study. All new data points for 2022 were classified as having undergone 'change'; although these units may have existed in 2018, they had not been included in previous analysis. The 2022 audit can be considered an accurate representation of each town centre's retail offer, occupancy rate and spatial distribution of services and facilities.

Occupancy of each unit was determined based on a visual, on-site assessment of its appearance (i.e. whether it looked to be in use) and/or the present of 'For Sale' or 'To Let' signs. Each empty unit at the time of visit was classified as 'vacant', regardless of potential past or future use. Captured images were then examined 'in office' to establish a more specific occupancy typology. Retail units in the "Comparison Retail" category were assessed to determine whether they were Local/Independent (Highland) or National retailers (Scotland, UK and International).

Each unit's physical condition was also assessed on-site. Scores were produced using the following typology:

1.   Very Poor (E.g., partial or total collapse, boarded windows, premises used for dumping)

2.   Poor (E.g., broken windows, broken tiles, water damage, blocked gutters)

3.   Fair (E.g., weeds in gutters/paving, peeling or chipped paintwork)

4.   Good (E.g., some weeds in gutters/paving, some faded/chipped paintwork)

5.   Very Good (E.g., perfect condition, no noticeable flaws)

It is recognised that some scores may have changed since 2018 due to instances of subjectivity and different surveyor perceptions.  Every effort was made, however, to keep reasoning consistent and every unit was given a score based on the assessment typology, rather than personal opinions.

Following on from the 2018 study, surveyor ratings are given alongside updated qualitative commentary for the 2022 TCHC.  The following 11 indicators of town centre health were assessed on a scale of 1 to 5 and given ratings, based on observations and assessments made during on-site visits:

• Historic Environment (Listed buildings by occupancy/condition; Other historic buildings by occupancy/condition)
• Pavements and Streets (Clutter; Cracks and Potholes; Litter; Fly-Tipping; Weeds etc.)
• Public Realm (Number and Condition of Public Art/Statues/Street Furniture)
• Open Space and Green Infrastructure (Parks; Gardens; Formal Landscapes; Outdoor Play Areas; Trees; Flowers)
• Safety and Security (Lighting; CCTV; Passive Policing)
• Cycling Facilities (Shared use paths; Signage; Storage etc.)
• Pedestrian Friendliness (Traffic Speeds; Crossing Points; Signage; Ease of Movement/Navigation)
• Public Transport (Available Modes; Routes; Main Connections and Frequency; Infrastructure and Facilities)
• Parking (Availability; Proximity to Facilities; Number of Spaces; Restrictions; Electric Vehicle Charging Points; Disabled Spaces Access/Availability)
• Evening Economy (Sense of Nightlife; Number of Public Bars; Nightclubs; Restaurants etc.)
• Tourist Appeal (Number/Quality of Attractions; Tourist Information Boards/Leaflets; Public Maps; Availability of Accommodation)

Qualitative scores were given based on the following typology:

1.   Very Poor

2.   Poor

3.   Neutral

4.   Good

5.   Very Good

Written analysis and additional imagery are included to support, and justify, each assigned score.  All captured images avoided Vehicles, Pedestrians, Residential/Business Interiors and/or CCTV cameras and other recording devices, as far as possible. All images were taken on-site, by the surveyors, unless stated otherwise. 

It is recognised that some scores may have changed since 2018 due to instances of subjectivity and different researcher perceptions.  Every effort was made, however, to keep reasoning consistent and all scores were given based on the assessment typology, rather than personal opinions.

The availability, quality and condition of Public Toilets can be a vital indicator of town centre health.  If facilities are not provided or are provided but are inaccessible, of poor condition, lack regular maintenance or lack sufficient signage, they can be deemed unsuitable, and incapable, of accommodating town centre users. A brief assessment of public toilet provision, within each town centre, is featured in this study. An on-site assessment of each facilities’ location, proximity to the centre, available signage, accessibility, cleanliness and condition were noted.

'Footfall’ refers to the number of pedestrians walking past a central data collection point, regardless of their reasons for doing so.  As an indicator of town centre vitality and viability, footfall counts were conducted, as part of this study, on each town’s High Street for 30 minutes, starting between 12pm and 2pm.  A central point on each High Street was assessed on-site.  Points in towns which lacked a named ‘High Street’ were chosen based on typical High Street attributes, such as retail offer and/or being the main pedestrian thoroughfare.  For Inverness, 6 points were were chosen by surveyors on-site. These spots were seen to reflect the main pedestrian thoroughfares throughout the City Centre and are detailed below:

• High Street
• Church Street
• Academy Street
• Inglis Street
• Eastgate Shopping Centre
• Victorian Market

Clicker counters were used to tally the number of people travelling in either direction (e.g., North vs South or East vs West), by either foot, bicycle, wheelchair, mobility scooter etc.  The proportion of people’s mode of travel, in each case, was considered negligible however, and data concerning this is not reported. 

External factors such as local climate, weather conditions, geographical location, time of year, day of the week and time of day are likely to influence total footfall figures within each town.  It was important, therefore, that these were kept consistent, where possible, to ensure uniformity and fairness when comparing each town. Local factors such as population, retail offer, accessibility, pedestrianisation and local events are also likely to influence total footfall figures within each town.

We compared total footfall counts with each town's total population to identify any results which are higher/lower than would be expected, given the number of residents and likely users of the town centre. One might expect towns with higher populations to have higher footfall counts, than towns with lower populations.  If a town has a lower footfall count than would be expected, given the population; it may indicate poor town centre health. If a town has a higher footfall count than would be expected given the population, then a town centre could be deemed reliant on tourism and visitors, rather than locals.

Scottish Planning Policy (2014) drew emphasis on the value of community contributions to Town Centre Health Check reports.  The policy states that health checks should “be prepared collaboratively with… the local community” with particular emphasis on community aspirations for, and perspectives on, their town centres.  A public questionnaire was delivered as part of the 2022 study to fulfil this recommendation, with the aim of engaging with 20 users of each town centre, to gain perspectives from both locals and visitors. During the on-site visit to each town centre, questionnaires were administered to 20 willing participants who were seen to be users of the town centre.  Each of the 300 total respondents were asked a series of 6 questions related to indicators of town centre health.  Every effort was made by researchers to engage with a range of respondents in terms of age and sex, as well as a fair balance between locals and visitors.  It is stressed that all responses remained anonymous and no demographic data (i.e., age, sex, nationality) was recorded. 

The questionnaire consisted of 5 questions where participants were asked to rate various qualitative indicators including Retail, Evening Economy, Accessibility, Pavements and Streets and Safety and Security, on a scale of 1 to 5.  A score of 1 denotes “Very Poor”, a score of 5 denotes “Very Good” and a score of 3 denotes a “Neutral” response or middling score.  An additional open-ended question gave an opportunity for participants to make further comments, elaborate on their given ratings or suggest town centre improvements.

A range of information can be extracted from the questionnaire data.  Whilst closed questions allow for statistical analysis and data interpretation, open-ended questions provide qualitative reasoning.  Quantitative findings are presented in graphs to highlight data patterns and collective findings.  Qualitative data has been transcribed and processed to create word clouds which are used to highlight general perceptions of each town centre.

Aggregated questionnaire scores were calculated using the following formula:

Frequency of Response per Rating x Value of Each Rating

1 = Very Poor

2 = Poor

3 = Neutral

4 = Good

5 = Very Good

Example:

In Nairn, with respect to the town centre's 'Pavements and Streets', each of the 20 survey participants were asked:

7 participants responded 'Very Good', 5 responded 'Good', 4 responded 'Neutral', 3 responded 'Poor' and 1 responded 'Very Poor'

An aggregated score for Nairn's pavements and streets can be calculated:

(1 x 1) + (2 x 3) + (3 x 4) + (4 x 5) + (5 x 7)

=

74 out of a possible 100.

It is recognised that if this questionnaire was to be published online, as opposed to in-person, there is opportunity for additional data (such as age, sex etc.) to be collected.  However, for this research, the value of a physical questionnaire persists.  Through targeting visible users of each town centre, these results capture public perceptions from a snapshot in time.  This methodology also allows for repeatability in future years, where results can be compared.

This section outlines the key findings from the Highland Council's 2022 Town Centre Health Checks. The following results are presented through graphs which highlight comparisons between town centres.

Please scroll down or select a heading to explore:

•  Vacancy Rates 
•  Qualitative Ratings 
•  Public Perceptions 
•  Footfall 

Vacancy Rates have been calculated using the number of vacant units as a % of the total unit offer, regardless of use classification, in each area/town centre.

Inverness

Highland

Qualitative Ratings were produced as part of an on-site surveyor assessment of each area/town centre.

Inverness

Highland

Aggregated Scores were calculated using data collected via public surveys during each town centre's on-site visit.

Inverness

Highland

Footfall counts were conducted at central points representing the main pedestrian thoroughfares for Inverness City Centre, and on the High Street in each of the other town centres. The total number of people passing surveyors was tallied over a 30 minute period, between 12 and 2pm.

Inverness

Highland