Demands to tear down Inverness eyesore that has lain empty for 20 years
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FRUSTRATION is growing among community leaders over a lack of progress to tackle a long-standing eyesore within sight of Inverness Castle.
B-listed Viewhill House has stood empty for more than 20 years and was in poor repair when it was ravaged by fire in 2007.
Since then, the roofless shell has remained a carbuncle on the city skyline, shrouded in scaffolding, overgrown bushes and weeds.
Pat Hayden, chairwoman of Crown and City Centre Community Council, believes it is time to consider knocking it down if there are no feasible restoration plans for the building – once the home of Victorian engineer Joseph Mitchell and later a youth hostel.
And a leading city chartered surveyor agreed, saying it was beyond economic repair.
Mrs Hayden said the eyesore would ruin the view from the castle once it is turned into a visitor attraction, adding: “They are going to stand on the hill and look around them, see Viewhill and wonder what on earth it is.
“Personally, I think it should be demolished. You cannot preserve something which is no longer viable. We have waited far too long for something to happen.”
She is due to meet Highland Council officials later this month to discuss the future of the site.
Chartered surveyor Richard Smith, managing director of Allied Souter and Jaffrey, said Viewhill should come down.
“It is worth absolutely nothing unless you get permission to demolish it because the renovation far outweighs its value,” said Mr Smith, whose company handled the sale on behalf of the Youth Hostel Association.
He also queried its listing which he claimed followed a hurried request from a council official and without a visit from the listings authority.
“It was a bad listing from the point of view that it was not checked out properly,” said Mr Smith, who gave a “stab-in-the-dark” valuation of £250,000 for the site, based on permission for demolition and redevelopment for a residential property.
At one time Viewhill was owned by building firm Ewen Gillies and later acquired by Magnus Properties (Inverness) which is believed to be the present owner. The company’s director has a correspondence address in County Antrim.
Highland Council is not in active discussions with the owner and David Haas, Inverness city centre manager, said it was up to the owner to push forward any plans.
“As a council, we recognise the importance of that site and will work with stakeholders who have responsibility for it to develop any opportunities, but at the moment we are not in a position to do that,” he said.
“Obviously, we are very keen to see it brought back into use.”
Inverness Central councillor Bet McAllister agreed action was now needed.
“I have spoken to other people who are really fed-up about it,” she said. “People think it is a disgrace.”
Highland Historic Buildings Trust previously pressed the case for the restoration and conversion of the property into eight-serviced apartments, but has been unable to raise the costs, estimated at £3.5 million in 2015.
Chairman John Duncan stressed the trust was not the owner or potential developer but got involved to try and find a solution.
He said any application for demolition would have to be determined by the council and Historic Environment Scotland.
In connection with another controversial Inverness building, a question mark hangs over when the former Eastgate Hostel will be demolished, despite previous assurances that eyesore would start to come down next week.
Talks took place on Thursday between Highland Council and representatives acting for the owners of the building which has remained a fire-ravaged eyesore for 2116 days now.
Afterwards, neither party would confirm whether work would begin next week, although they insisted the meeting was “very positive”.
Chiropodist Jim Crawford, whose business is nearby, called for the council to take out a compulsory purchase order if work does not start by next Friday.
“There has been no sign of activity so far,” he said.
“It is an absolute nonsense.”
Building consultant Gary Johnston, agent for the owners Imtaiz Ali and Mr Cheng, would not confirm when work would begin. All he could say was: “Everything is going according to plan.”
David Haas, Highland Council’s Inverness city manager, said matters were progressing in a constructive way.
“It is very frustrating it has taken so many years to get to this stage but the principal owner has taken major steps in the last six months,” he insisted.
