Regeneration revealed
CONSERVATION work on Inveraray buildings has taken a big step forward. Full story, page 2.
THE SCAFFOLDING is coming down in Inveraray.
The regeneration of the historic Argyll town has reached a major milestone as buildings are revealed once more, looking fresher than they have in years.
Four of five chosen priority buildings – the Town House, Chamberlain’s House, the Old Temperance Hotel and Relief Land – have been given a new lease of life as part of the Inveraray Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) by being restored to their former glory.
Work on Arkland, the fifth priority building, will be completed by the summer.
Councillor Aileen Morton, the council’s policy lead for sustainable economic growth, said: ‘It is really pleasing to see the regeneration work in Inveraray, which started in 2013, reaching this visible stage.
‘The town is looking great and will help our ambition of attracting visitors to come to our historic town.
‘This is testament to the hard work and dedication of the owners, the contractors John Brown (Strone) and Laing Traditional Masonry and the council’s delivery team.
‘We have worked closely with our partners and are grateful for their assistance in making the essential conservation of some of the most important listed buildings in the town a reality.’
Ambitious
The ambitious conservation of the distinctive and important buildings was made possible by the council’s contribution of £350,000 and the CARS funding (£970,000) awarded by Historic Environment Scotland. The total budget, which included contributions from the owners, Argyll Community Housing Association, and private sector housing grant, is over £2 million.
The Inveraray CARS scheme will continue until March 2018 – with the focus of the final year being on supporting community engagement initiatives.