Last-ditch bid to revamp Inverness eyesore

A FINAL attempt is under way to restore a dilapidated building which has been a blot on the city landscape for decades.

Frustration has been growing among community leaders and local residents over a lack of action to tackle the B-listed Viewhill House, which has stood empty for 20 years and was damaged by fire in 2007.

Although there have been growing calls to demolish the ugly ruin, which sits in sight of Inverness Castle, the possibility of bringing it into community use as a social enterprise is now being explored.

Impact Hub Inverness, which provides co-working space for entrepreneurs, businesses and organisations in the city’s Castle Street, has joined forces with Highland Historic Buildings Trust (HHBT) to investigate the potential re-purposing of the former home of renowned Victorian engineer Joseph Mitchell.

They have the support of Highlands and Islands Labour MSP David Stewart and have met local residents as well as a representative of the building’s owner.

But Polly Chapman, chief executive of Impact Hub Inverness, warned plans were at an early stage and were dependent on surveys by architects, surveyors and engineers to determine the building’s condition, and also what funding might be available to cover the necessary renovation work.

Full story in today's Courier.

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