Cash bid to stop the rot in Inveraray

Highland Correspondent

Monday 3 September 2012

IT represents virtually the Caledonian ideal: a picturesque community living on the shores of a sea loch with the clan chief in his nearby castle.

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David Ross Highland Correspondent

Inveraray is a veritable jewel in Scotland's tourism crown, and has even been touted as a possible Unesco World Heritage Site.

However, today officials at Historic Scotland, the Government agency charged with safeguarding Scotland's historic environment, will receive a request for £1 million towards a £3m project to save Inveraray's celebrated architecture from further decline.

There are roofs to be fixed, gutters and down pipes to be replaced, cracks sealed, windows replaced and a lot of painting to be done in a town where all the buildings are listed and therefore expensive to repair.Historic buildings consultant John Gleeson, who lives nearby, has written a paper on the state of Inveraray. He says: "The town now presents a sorry and tired appearance after inappropriate refurbishment in the 1960s followed by decades of little or no maintenance."But he is no doubt the town that was created in the 18th century by the third Duke of Argyll, chief of Clan Campbell, deserves urgent attention.He said: "Inveraray, as is well documented, presents one of the most significant examples of an early planned Scottish town. It remains very much as it was originally intended and built."Instrumental in the funding bid has been the SNP's Mike MacKenzie who, before being elected, was a builder.He became involved after being approached by a constituent who was facing a repair bill of more than £30,000 for her flat in a 18th-century tenement. He said it soon became apparent that not only would all 10 owner-occupied homes in the 17-flat tenement face similar bills, the whole of the historic town needed help.Frances Nolan, who runs a training consultancy and also has a kilt shop in the town, said: "I don't know whether it is because of the duke and the castle or because of the big houses and estates in the surrounding area, but Inveraray is definitely seen as being prosperous. It is not."A lot of the people who live in the centre of Inveraray are on minimum wages or not much above and the cost of living here is higher than in bigger places, with no discounted supermarket shopping or budget clothes shops. "We rely on visitors for most of the local employment and if the town looks tired and worn, they'll stop coming here." She said the Post Office, two B&Bs, a tearoom, a craft gallery and the maritime museum had all been up for sale for two years, while other buildings have been empty for more than a year. "That's hardly evidence of economic vibrancy, " she added. Mr MacKenzie organised a meeting in April in the town and a local campaign was launched to develop an improvement programme. The community of 650 residents took up the cause with enthusiasm, and a petition now has more than 800 signatures while help was sought from Argyll and Bute Council.The local authority organised surveys and eight buildings were categorised as priority projects.But the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) bid would also deliver grants for small repairs for homeowners, shop-front repairs and training in traditional skills.If successful, the council would match the £1m, with the balance being sought from partners such as the local housing association.A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said consideration of CARS submissions would begin today with a decision before Christmas.

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Cash bid to stop the rot in Inveraray

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