Inverness city centre office space above Victorian Market to be converted into rental accommodation after plans approved by Highland Council
City centre office space which has long sat empty is set for a new life as rental accommodation after council planners approved the plans.
Applicant Gokhan Turkmenoglu has secured listed building consent to turn empty office space above the Victorian Market entrance in Queensgate into “letting units”.
It is not known if these will be used for permanent lets, as holiday accommodation or a mix of the two, as there is ambiguity in the documents. Highland Council planners repeatedly referred to the new accommodation as holiday lets, but the application form and a supporting statement lodged by the applicant’s agents makes no such remark - instead referring to them as “long-term stay with the possibility of additional occupants on a short term basis”.
Either way, the second-floor office space at 11 Queensgate will be converted into four accommodation lets following the council planners’ decision to grant the proposals.
Under the plans the building’s internal layout will altered to create four lets, two of which would feature separate bedrooms and living/kitchen rooms, with the other two having open plan bed/living/kitchen rooms. All four would have en-suite bathrooms with showers.
The proposals would result in some internal alterations to the graded b-listed building, although there would be no alteration to the exterior facing into Queensgate. To the rear of the property there would be "some penetration" of the wall to "meet technical standards for ventilation".
In a supporting statement issued with the application, the agents for the applicant said: "The accommodation was used for many years as offices but has now lain unoccupied for a number of years.”
They added: “This proposal is in line with the stated intention of the Highland Council to return properties currently unoccupied within Inverness City Centre to residential use.
“My client is committed to minimizing the extent of intervention to the building and retaining its existing character wherever possible. This would include retaining moulded cornices wherever possible, retaining existing doors where possible and refurbishing existing windows with secondary glazing added internally.
“The accommodation is laid out such that disruption to the fabric of the building is minimized with no alteration to the elevation facing Queensgate.”
Granting permission under delegated powers, Highland Council planning officers said: “As an application relating to a Category B listed building, policy states that developments are suitable where they can be demonstrated not to have an unacceptable impact on the protected amenity and heritage resource.
“Internally modifications are noted on the approved drawings and are controlled by conditions. Externally no alteration is proposed to the Queensgate elevation of the building beyond servicing and repainting of the existing windows in the original colour. The proposal is considered to preserve the setting, and the special architectural and historic interest of the Category B listed building.
“Accordingly, it is considered that the proposal is acceptable and accords with development plan policy.”
