Eastgate Shopping Centre (Inverness)
 | |
| Location | Inverness, Highland, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Address | EastGate Shopping Centre, 11 Eastgate, Inverness IV2 3PP |
| Opening date |
1983 1993 (refurbishment) 2003 (extension) [1] |
| Developer | Sun & Alliance |
| No. of stores and services | 60 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 2 |
| Parking | 1350 spaces |
| Website | Official site |
Eastgate Shopping Centre is located in Inverness, serving the largest shopping catchment area in Europe.[2] The centre has two main anchor stores, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. The Eastgate shopping centre in Inverness has been taken over by UK-owned real estate fund manager, F&C REIT.
The Centre is notable for an automaton clock depicting Noah's Ark.[3] Each hour a monkey is seen raising up a tree and chiming a bell in order to tell the hour. On each hour the clock diorama also plays an animal themed song and a single set of doors open to show pictures of the animal associated with the song. At 12 o'clock each day a longer display takes place where all of the tunes are played, all the windows are opened and the rest of the diorama also operates. It is still common to see crowds watching the clock for the extended 12 o'clock performance.
History
Eastgate development
The Eastgate shopping centre was first opened in the city centre by Sun Alliance in 1983, with Marks and Spencer as the anchor store on brownfield land.[4]
Eastgate refurbishment
The Eastgate shopping centre underwent a refurbishment plan in 1993.
The first application sent to Highland Council by the centre developers Royal & SunAlliance, dated 10 March 1997, was to warrant a much needed extension to the Eastgate. This plan was originally rejected on the grounds of the controversial re-location of the Category B listed building on 7/9 Falcon Square (the Falconer Building), inadequate access to the railway station and too many car park spaces that would allow for this development to go ahead. They were more interested in supporting plans particularly around The Academy Centre extension which was going to be anchored by Debenhams.
The plans outlined were going to contain two new bridges connecting the existing centre and the new extension. This was going to be built on land (Millburn Road), north of the centre on the former Railway goods yard area. Marks and Spencer were going to expand their current store over their own service yard. A car park would be built for the extension holding 1500 later been forced to scale back to 1300 spaces. BHS anticipated an interest in being an anchor for the new extension, including room for leisure facility and an 8 screen multiplex cinema.
A later application was accepted, although now without a multiplex cinema. Building work started in 2001 and was opened in 2003. This now included one bridge walkway connecting the new phase with the existing shopping centre, complete with an anchor store and a food court.
The Falcon Square extension is called the Falcon Mall. The original site is now officially called Eastgate Mall, with Eastgate Centre referring to the two buildings together.[5]
As part of this refurbishment, Falcon Square has been rebuilt as a plaza on which a new mercat cross has been erected, and which has replaced the Town House end of the High Street as a gathering point for civic events.
Stores
Below are just a few of the many stores,
As of January 2014 ;
Argos, Boots, Debenhams, Game, H&M, HMV, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, New Look, Next, Waterstones
Coordinates: 57°28′44″N 4°13′14″W / 57.47889°N 4.22056°W
