Eastgate Shopping Centre owners apply to renew planning permission to extend Inverness city centre building
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Plans have been resubmitted to extend a prominent building in Inverness city centre which has been empty since last autumn.
The Filling Station, an American diner and bar previously located in Academy Street, closed its doors last October.
The owners of the Eastgate Shopping Centre, who also own the building, are now seeking to renew lapsed planning and listed building consent for an extension to the former Filling Station which would run into Falcon Square.
They say the work is necessary for the building to be commercially lettable.
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An extension was applied for and approved in March 2017 - as part of a planned broader revamp of the area first unveiled in 2016 - but this has now lapsed.
Following talks in December and March with Highland Council planning officials, an application for renewal of permission for the extension has now been submitted.
A planning statement submitted by POD Architects on behalf of Scoop Turriga, agent for the Eastgate Unit Trust, says this would allow the works to proceed with a new operator.
“It should be noted that the original building is now empty and has an existing layout that is not functional for an end operator, which means it is not commercially viable without the actions proposed,” it states.
“Therefore, the proposed extension is necessary to allow for the building to be commercially lettable.
“The application would therefore allow a sustainable business to occupy the space and revitalise the wider Falcon Square area.”
The approved proposals house a dining area of 165 square metres of usable seating and kitchen space and encompass the adjoining arches.
POD Architects said the one-storey extension had been designed to provide a functional and efficient internal space while at the same time respecting the two listed buildings which it sits between.
The application also included the relocation of 14 Sheffield (cycle) stands, and the replanting of two trees.
The planning statement says: “The approved proposals have not changed and remain as intended to be a light unobtrusive intervention connecting the two adjoining buildings.
“The modern design approach has not changed which respects the character of the listed buildings by avoiding similarities in elevation, roofscape and materials. In doing so, the existing buildings retain their character and importance within Falcon Square.
“This allows some of the less attractive aspects of these buildings to be hidden, such as the gable wall of the Former Filling Station Building, the passage between this building and the Falconer Building, the current location of the Sheffield Stands, the pebble-dashed wall and the roof of the extension to the former Filling Station building.”
It adds the proposals are in line with existing and emerging national and local planning policy and will make the best use of an existing building on a brownfield site.
“The proposals will extend and enhance the existing building in a high-quality yet respectful manner.
“This will allow for the building to remain commercially viable which should support the viability of the wider Inverness urban centre and economy as a whole.”
It said the extension extends into Falcon Square up to a point which provides clear accessible routes from the pedestrian crossing into Falcon Square and along to Station Square.
“Where the main entrance door sits back from the rest of the Falcon Square facade, it has been important not to create areas which would encourage antisocial behaviour by younger members of the public, which is a current problem around the existing arches and Former Filling Station Building,” it added.
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