Highland church set for new life as design studio, shop and café under plans submitted to Highland Council?
A former Black Isle kirk which was sold off by the Church of Scotland could return to use as a design studio, shop and café under plans lodged with Highland Council.
Applicant Ewen Mackinnon, from Inverness, is seeking planning permission to alter the interior of the church "to accommodate the new use but to retain the external appearance with minimal alteration sufficient to facilitate safe and equal access".
The former church, which sits at the southern entrance to Munlochy on the B9161, dates back to 1886 and is a C-listed building.
In a design statement lodged alongside the application, Mr Mackinnon's agents, Oberlanders Architects, cite successful examples elsewhere in the Highlands where former sacred spaces and other heritage buildings have been successfully adapted to serve new functions.
These include the Kilmorak Gallery, Leakey's Bookstore in Inverness, the Dornoch Courtroom Café and Strathnaver Museum in Bettyhill, which was once St Columba Church.
In each of those examples, much of the the existing internal fabric of the building was retained and adapted within the new use.
Indeed, the new application in Munlochy appears to take a design lead from some of these, with a plan for a new glass walkway bridge linking the upper galleries in the Kilmorack Church mimicking a similar feature which was installed in the Strathnaver Museum by the same design company - Oberlanders Architects - back in 2023.
Externally, there will be limited changes to the building - with the addition of a wheelchair accessible ramp at the side of the main entrance steps being one of the few modifications.
The other external alteration will be plans to extend one of the church's side windows down to the ground to enable a side entrance for the café - enabling the café to extend outside onto a new terraced area.
Internally, as well as the glass walkway linking the side galleries on the upper floor, changes would include the removal of the pews and pulpit and raised flooring at the altar.
New toilets, a kitchen and café servery would also be created, alongside an internal stove, radiant heating panels, feature lighting and a new "glass balustrade to accommodate a new raised level at the first floor.
A studio space would also be created on the ground floor.
