Way forward for fire hit Inverness hostel is clearer now - claim
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A PLANNING application to restore a fire-ravaged city centre eyesore will be lodged within weeks, it has been claimed.
It has now been more than 1300 days since a blaze broke out at the former Eastgate Hostel on Inverness High Street, with little visible sign of anything being done to restore the damage since then.
The Courier was told last week that there would be an official announcement within the next seven days.
As of Friday this still hadn’t appeared, but when we contacted project manager Ian Sibbald he said that a planning application will be formally submitted "within two to three weeks".
Acting on behalf of the building’s owner, businessman Imtaiz Ali, he said: "We have got a solution that seems to be acceptable all round, to both planning and conservation bodies.
"They way forward is certainly clearer now and the owners of the building are very anxious to push on with matters as quickly as possible.
"The main problem has been that it is a very unusually constructed building and it has taken a long time to find out exactly what is going on behind the facade and then how to deal with that in terms of reconstruction."
He added: "It has been a problematic mountain to climb, but we are well over the top of it now."
Inverness Central Councillor, Bet McAllister was disappointed that the promised press release hadn’t been issued.
"It was promised and unfortunately we haven’t been told anything. It’s a bit disappointing to say the least," she said.
However, she welcomed the news that things seemed to be moving in the right direction.
"It’s a step forward at least if there is a planning application," she said.
"I would hope once the planning application has been submitted that it will be treated as a matter of priority – and to be honest I think that would have to happen, given how long this has been dragging on."
The hostel, close to the main entrance of the Eastgate Centre, has been covered in scaffolding since the fire that engulfed it in April 2013.
Although there was nobody injured, 51 tourists, many in the their nightclothes, and three hostel staff members had to flee to safety after a fire alarm sounded at 5am.
The building has been declared safe in its current state, but there was never any statutory requirement for owners to improve it further.
Inverness city manager David Haas recently said he was "very disappointed" at the lack of progress on the building as well as the lack of information that has been made available to the public by owners.
"The council is in a difficult position. We have taken all of the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the building. All we can do now is help lead the agencies, giving as much support to the owners as we can," he said.
