Green plan to heat Inverness Castle from site of disused public toilet
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THE unsightly public toilet block on the city’s Castle Wynd could soon be replaced with a green energy centre to heat Inverness Castle, currently being transformed into a multimillion-pound world class visitor attraction.
A sizeable array of heat pump panels will replace the toilet building if the plan is approved.
Air source heat pumps could also later heat the nearby town house and any further developments in the Castle Hill area.
Highland Council has applied for change of use and alteration to the disused building to form the sustainable energy centre.
Computer generated images with the council’s application show a bank of about 20 square air source heat pump panels, some appearing coloured to match the red stonework of Inverness Castle.
The work would also include the erection of an independent façade, internal alterations, associated infrastructure works, landscaping and external lighting
An air source heat pump absorbs heat from outside a structure and releases it inside using much the same equipment as air conditioners but in the opposite direction.
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “The sustainable energy centre proposed is a green energy solution to provide heat to the castle redevelopment.
“The proposal is for heat pumps, several of which will be positioned within the redeveloped building. The new energy centre can in the future be used to heat the town house by adding further heat pumps when required, and this could also apply to any future developments within the Castle Hill area.”
A report by council archaeologist Kirsty Cameron with the application states: “Although this area may have been altered significantly by development in the past century or so, it remains within an area of archaeological potential.
“This has been evidenced by early prehistoric deposits found at a considerable depth below the existing ground surface during development in the immediate area. As such, any areas where ground breaking is required should be carried out under archaeological monitoring.
“While the risk of encountering buried deposits is not such as to warrant a full excavation, it is important that the nature and extent of any features is identified and recorded before destruction.”
