Highland Council says Eastgate Hostel in Inverness may be housing opportunity - just not for them
A fire-ravaged city centre eyesore is being classed as an ‘opportunity’ by Highland Council - even though it no longer believes it represents that for the local authority.
The former Eastgate Hostel near the High Street has been a long-running source of frustration for some people in Inverness.
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The Courier has long campaigned for action at the site which was initially fronted by scaffolding for several years following a fire in April 2013. The scaffolding was removed in summer 2019 and the rear of the building was demolished leaving the façade. At that time there were plans to develop housing on the first and second floors and a shop on the ground floor.
Then moves were being made in summer 2020 that could have seen it be subject to a compulsory purchase order as part of a recovery plan to deal with the impact of Covid-19, but the local authority did not follow through with the move.
And a Freedom of Information request by The Inverness Courier revealed that the Eastgate Hostel has not been mentioned in any council emails, minutes of meetings, council documents or other correspondence during 2022, 2023 and 2024.
However these results are questionable, given it is included in an interactive map of so-called Inverness Strategy Projects published by the council’s development plans team in October.
It provides information on projects classed as: delivered since 2018; active; pipeline; opportunity; and not proceeding.
Regarding Eastgate Hostel, which is in the ‘opportunity’ category with the lead organisation suggested as ‘private and/or Highland Council’, the team stated: “The site remains undeveloped and may be an opportunity for new residential accommodation within the city centre, above active ground floor use.”
But a council spokesperson said: “The council has looked at this site but has concluded that it is not a viable option for an affordable housing development by the council.”
The Courier understands that the building remains in private ownership. It is being marketed by estate agents Grant Stewart.
