5 Inverness eyesores – are these buildings the worst blots on the Highland capital?

Which is the worst eyesore building in Inverness?

The 10th anniversary of the Eastgate Hostel fire is reminder that a permanent solution still has to be found for the building's long-term future.

• What is the future for Inverness eyesore 10 years after blaze

• Long-running saga of fire-ravaged Eastgate Hostel

But it is not the only building in the city which is a blot on the cityscape.

We highlight a few others but is there a building which you feel is a carbuncle, or is letting down the city and in desperate need of a makeover?

Email newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk with your suggestions.

Former Eastgate Hostel:

The eyesore in the city’s main shopping street has been a constant source of frustration for fed-up local businesses and residents since it was damaged in a blaze in April 2013.

Following a campaign led by the Inverness Courier, work to remove scaffolding was finally completed in 2019 but plans to develop flats on the first and second floors and a shop on the ground floor have yet to come to fruition.

Could an end to hostel saga be in sight?

Viewhill House, Old Edinburgh Road:

The B-listed Viewhill House, located near Inverness Castle, was once the former home of renowned Victorian engineer Joseph Mitchell and later served as a youth hostel.

But since being damaged extensively by a fire in 2007, the building remains a ruin shrouded in scaffolding and is the subject of an ongoing dangerous building notice,

A lack of progress has prompted calls for Viewhill to be demolished.

Property in Grant Street, Merkinch:

The signs look hopeful after initial delays to repair this prominent Merkinch building which was badly damaged in January 2021 when it was hit by a car.

For more than year, it remained wreathed in scaffolding but repair work finally began last summer.

Originally, it was expected to last until mid-November 2022 but delays meant the contract was then due for completion in March. It is now expected to take another month.

Bridge Street buildings:

This notorious 1960s block is regarded as a concrete carbuncle by many.

It was bought by Highland Council in 2018 as part of the bigger redevelopment of Inverness Castle into a major tourist attraction which is due to be complete by 2025.

The purchase price of £5.275 million for the site was made up of borrowing by the council and a contribution of £1.5 million from Scottish Government through Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal.

A Highland Council spokeswoman said: "The redevelopment of Bridge Street is a potential future phase of the Castle Hill project and is subject to identifying future funding streams both public and private.

The offices are currently occupied on relatively short term lets and any future proposals regarding the redevelopment will be subject to public consultation."

New Century House, Stadium Road:

While it may not be an obvious eyesore, the three-storey office remains empty after being acquired by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) in 2020 under controversial plans to centralise air traffic control operations in the Highlands.

More than £6 million was spent on the project, including acquisition of the building, between April 2018 and November 2020. The plans were shelved in 2022.

A HIAL spokesman said: "New Century House remains a valuable asset within the HIAL property portfolio and the future use of the building forms a significant part of our ongoing strategic property review.

"In the meantime, the property is checked regularly and maintained where necessary."

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