The new Gaelic centre in the former Inverness East Church building needs improved roof drainage to keep it watertight
As a former Inverness Church continues its new life as a centre promoting Gaelic culture, it has been discovered that work is required on the roof to keep the building safe from rainwater.
Culturlann Inbhir Nis acquired the 225-year-old East Church on Academy Street in 2023 after it was put on the market at offers over £230,000 as part of the Church of Scotland’s national efforts to cut costs.
Culturlann Inbhir Nis is a community-owned charity set up to create a Gaelic language and cultural centre “for the benefit of future generations” in the historic Gothic building in the city centre.
Architects acting for Culturlann Inbhir Nis in a report prepared for Highland Council planners, warn that if the work is not done then there is a high risk of damage in the future with the loss of historic fabric and economic impacts on the operation of the centre.
Conservation architects MAAC Studio Ltd said: “The proposed works are necessary to address defects in the existing building fabric and to allow the future maintenance of the building in a safe and effective way.
“The works to the roof are generally located to the rear of the building, concealed from view, will not be visible from the public realm, and do not impact on features of heritage significance.
“While the building appears to be in good order, there are underlying issues that need to be addressed if it is to continue to function as a community facility. The roof has a number of hidden valley gutters that are vulnerable to blockage from debris and vegetation, and subsequent leaks.”
The property is listed category B and is in the Inverness Riverside Conservation Area and the report was prepared to support applications for Planning and Listed building Consent to Highland Council.
Culturlann Inbhir Nis is seeking permission for roof alterations to improve the inadequate drainage, and instal skylights to allow easier and safe access to the roof for future maintenance.
The community group is also seeking permission for roof insulation and new toilets.
An assessment of the roof rainwater run-off capacity confirmed that the drainage on the roof was significantly undersized especially at the rear of the church where several roofs discharge their rainfall into valley gutters above the church hall - including from the fairly recent tenement development on Strother’s Lane.
The architects reported: “These all lead to a single discharge point at the alleyway between the Culturlann and 62 Academy Street. The cumulative flow of rainwater discharging into the valleys was much higher than the capacity of the roof drainage.
“The roof area is difficult to access for maintenance and was easily obstructed by birds’ nests, and debris. With only a single final discharge point to the public drains, this risk of blockage and failure of the rainwater system is very high.”
In addition to a crowdfunding appeal and individual donations, Cultarlann Inbhir Nis received backing from a range of funders including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Inverness Common Good Fund, the Architectural Heritage Fund and Enterprise Scotland to get the centre running.
Margaret Mulholland, chairwoman of Culturlann’s board said the work included in the application was only the first part of future work required on the old building to bring it up to a modern standard. For this work they won £90,000 from Highland Council’s Community Regeneration Fund and added a proportion of their own funds to the pot.
Margaret said the volunteer organisation is gradually building up the use of the centre and already have a parents and baby/toddler group, fortnightly Gaelic chat sessions with live music and also occasional lets of space.
A new tranche of Highland Council’s adult Gaelic classes starts in the centre in September, with more information on this to be put out nearer the time.
