New plans unveiled for Old Knock School refurbishment
A COMMUNITY consultation commenced at the weekend in Point over plans to redevelop the Old Knock School, which has become a thriving community hub since it was repurposed and reopened in March, 2014.
Plans have been drawn up which include some extensive rebuilding and remodelling – including a glass-walled extension to the cafe to open up the views across the Braighe – and community group Urras Stòras an Rubha are looking for public feedback before they start applying for funding.
It is a second attempt to redevelop the building, which is very much in need of renovation. The first set of plans were unsuccessful in their bid for cash from the Big Lottery’s Growing Communities Assets fund. The new plans are scaled down and have been costed at approximately £1 million.
The project group hopes to begin the funding applications in the summer, after feedback from the community consultation.
Under the draft plans, the two main (old) parts of the building would be kept, with structural work done on the extensions – mainly the areas with flat roofs – which were added over the years. The shop and cafe, which occupy one main part of the building, will be extended.
The shop will get more floor space and the gable end of the building will be turned into a wall of mainly glass, with a mezzanine level to create more seating and to make the best of the views over the Minch and down to the Harris hills.
The plans have been drawn up by Malcolm Crate and the aim is to create a more attractive, modern, energy efficient building that is fit for purpose.
The plans also include dedicated museum and exhibition space for Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha and Urras Eaglais na h-Aoidhe, plus offices for Point and Sandwick Trust, archive and storage facilities for the Rudhach community paper and a meeting room.
The consultation takes place across two Saturdays – May 5 and May 12 – from noon to 4pm, in the building itself.
A spokesman for Urras Stòras an Rubha said: ‘We’re going to be making applications for funding for the redevelopment of the building and we want to be sure that we’re doing what the community would like with the site. So we want to give the community the opportunity to have input into how the final plans will be.’
Detailing other parts of the new plans, she said the space for Urras Eaglais na h-Aoidhe (the Ui Church Trust) would give them somewhere to store their interpretation panels for the church, sited in neighbouring village Aignish, which currently have nowhere to go.
She pointed out there was ‘nowhere else in Point’ that could give space to these kinds of groups and said a whole raft of local organisations were involved in Urras Stòras an Rubha and having input to discussions – including the Comann Eachdraidh historical society, Urras Eaglais na h-Aoidhe, the Rudhach, Point Community Council and the Agricultural Society.
She said Tighean Innse Gall had been very helpful and they would soon be looking to the Lottery, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, possibly Leader and also the Landfill Tax for funding.