Highland Councillors will be asked next week to endorse an "ambitious and dynamic" bid being made for Inverness and the wider Highlands to become the European Capital of Culture in 2008. At a special meeting of the full council on Thursday 21 March, they will consider a report from Bruce Robertson, Director of Education Culture and Sport, which identifies the scope to link new building projects, worth £61 million, to the bid and proposes a wide-ranging programme of events, which might be held in 2008, should the bid be successful.

A major boost for the bid, said Mr Robertson, is the backing of 16 national agencies, who have signed a concordat of in-principle support. Gaelic was a central theme of the bid, which focused heavily on young people. Indeed, the bid proposed that young people should gain free entry to a range of cultural, leisure and sporting facilities during the year of culture.

Some of the prominent capital developments associated with the bid, which could be promoted are -

A £6.5 million extension to Eden Court Theatre, including a 250-seat theatre, a120-seat cinema; a small gallery space and dedicated space for drama, dance and music classes;

New sports facilities and libraries planned in the Council’s second Education Public Private Partnership at Portree, Dingwall, Farr (Sutherland), Kinlochleven; Inverness, and Fort William - £18.2 million;

A new Highland Football Academy at Dingwall and Inverness - £2.1 million;

Arts projects at Fort William, Caithness, and Dingwall - £12 million;

A "cultural quarter" to enhance the riverside area of Inverness - £20 million;

New performing venues, libraries and sporting facilities are also being provided at the new community schools at Fortrose, Glenurquhart, Strontian. and Ullapool, at an estimated cost of £3 million.

A detailed planning application has been lodged for the first stage of a private sector funded film studio on the outskirts of Inverness and this is seen as a significant enhancement of the invernesshighland2008 bid. The estimated cost of the development is £20 million. -more to follow-

Some of the ideas that have come forward from the public for marking the year of culture in 2008 are: -

ARTS: It is proposed to host a major rock concert in the Highlands and to hold a feis every week of the year. Also planned are a programme of public art, mid-winter festivals, and an artists in residence programme for communities throughout the Highlands.

ENVIRONMENT: Creation of a long distance footpath from Inverness to Skye is suggested as is making Inverness a City of Sustainability – the "greenest" in Europe. A major snow and ice festival is planned for Caringorm.

SPORT: Plans are to attract an international curling competition; create a series of skate parks; and encourage greater participation in shinty.

HERITAGE: A full-scale re-enactment of the Battle of Culloden is planned, while communities are to be encouraged to establish photographic records of their culture, attractions and personalities.

LANGUAGE/GAELIC: It is hoped The Royal National Mod will be held in Inverness in 2008 and there are plans to raise awareness of Gaelic culture as well as extend the use of Gaelic and bilingual signs;

SCIENCE: It is suggested that Inverness could become the forefront of scientific advance. Also planned is the creation of an interactive science centre and an observatory.

Convener David Green said "This is an ambitious and dymanic bid, which will help generate a confidence and self-belief befitting a new city and the Highlands – an area that has only relatively recently begun to reverse a 250-year trend of depopulation and decline. We wish to accelerate this trend and stimulate the area so current and future generations don’t feel they have to leave to find cultural activity. Success will create a shop window for the tremendous culture in our area. The changed perception of Inverness and the Highlands will encourage more visitors to the area, reinforcing the main industry of tourism and it will help persuade more businesses and families to move here."

The support of so many key agencies was a telling factor as was the fact that invernesshighland2008 was a regional bid and it was Scotland’s sole representative in the competition.