Emergency Planning Underground Bunker, Mackintosh Road, Inverness

The Emergency Planning Underground Bunker on Mackintosh Road in Inverness was built in 1941 and modernised between 1988 and 1991. It is a two-storey, sunken rectangular-plan concrete structure, with an earthen mound at ground level.

The southeast elevation features a modern rectangular concrete entrance block set into the mound on the left. A short flight of steps leads down to the original entrance, which is also set into the mound on the right. In the centre, there is a large modern lattice communications tower, and to the far right, three concrete ventilation towers rise over the crest of the mound.

Inside, access to the upper level is gained through the modern concrete entrance block, leading down to a decontamination area with a large metal blast door. The main upper corridor runs around two and a half sides of the bunker, with a Conference and Briefing Suite consisting of five rooms. There is also a Ventilation Plant Room with a workshop to the east, featuring a modern ventilation system installed in 1988. This system includes two racing bicycles mounted on concrete plinths, with the front wheels removed and back wheels connected to a belt drive, which can be used to keep the air circulating in case of a power failure. At the rear of the Ventilation Plant Room, two steps lead up to a small Filter Room, from which two metal blast doors provide access to the original entrance, now used as an exit since 2002.

The lower level is accessed by flights of stairs to the east and west from the upper level. The main lower corridor runs around two and a half sides of the bunker, with various rooms leading off, including a Central Control Room and a Radio Room. Acoustic booths line each wall, housing a Communications Centre and a small Telephone Exchange. The Generator Room contains two Perkins diesel generators, which are served by a mains tank located on the surface. The Generator and Tank Room, located at the far east of the bunker, is accessed through two gas-tight doors, and there is a Shower Room situated between the Generator Room and the main corridor. To the west of the Control Room, there is a Kitchen and Canteen.