Is it time to bring the floral clock back to Inverness Castle?

A floral clock could be reinstated below Inverness Castle at a cost of up to £69,000.

The 15ft (4.5m) diameter flower bed with the clock mechanism buried beneath it was installed in 1990 for a Beautiful Scotland in Bloom competition.

It was removed in 2016 after it stopped working and Highland Council believed at the time it was beyond economic repair.

The local authority is considering a new clock following the opening of the castle, a former sheriff court, in February as a £47m visitor attraction.

Highland Council's city of Inverness area committee will be asked to debate a number of options when it meets next week.

They include continuing to maintain flower beds on the grassy bank, or removing the plants and turfing over the beds. Officials said these were the lowest-cost options.

Reinstating the clock along with traditional-style flower beds could cost up to £64,000 with annual maintenance costs of about £32,000.

Officials said flowers would need to be replaced three times a year, and require up to three maintenance visits a day.

Other options include a "naturalistic landscape" featuring heather, rocks and areas of wild flowers and costing up to £69,000.

A clock with a stone face would run to an estimated £60,000.

In a report, the officials said only £35,000 of funding had been found so far towards the cost of the project.