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Design of new Fort William council building “awful”

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A £6million plan for new council offices in a Highland town has been recommended for approval – despite some locals claiming that the design is “awful”.

Highland Council’s south planning applications committee is to consider the application for the renovation of Fort William’s former secondary school in Achintore Road on Tuesday.

The local authority wants to transform the existing B-listed building and build an extension to create a civic centre, with service point, registry, council chambers, committee rooms and office space.

But the design for the extension has come under severe criticism from Fort William Community Council, backed by Kilmallie, Inverlochy and Turlundy and Caol community councils, which have all lodged objections to the application.

Achintore School in Fort William
Achintore School in Fort William
Artist impressions of plans for the school
Artist impressions of plans for the school

The building has lain empty for more than 25 years. The council wants the new development to replace existing offices at Lochaber House, Fulton House and Tweeddale, saving more than £375,000 a year.

Neil Clark, chairman of Fort William Community Council, said: “It’s awful. It’s like an agricultural shed right alongside a B-listed building.

“It is an eyesore at the moment, when people come in to the town from the south one of the first things they see is a derelict building, but this is not going to enhance it one little bit.

“The design is wrong. They should put the extension at the back so it won’t have such an impact from the main road.

“The extension with its metal facings and glass front is not in keeping with the listed building it is going to be attached to.”

Russell Leaper, secretary of Kilmallie Community Council, said: “We are concerned that Fort William Community Council is unhappy. Our objection was a suggestion to delay any decision and have further discussions to see if they could come up with something that Fort William Community Council would be happy with.

“We feel a public building should have public support. There are things causing concern that could possibly be relatively easily rectified. We would like them to wait and see if they can come up with something that will have public support.”

In a report to councillors, officials said: “The current proposal for the extension takes a complementary design approach, offering a building which is contemporary in style and allowing clear distinction

between the old and new. Historic Scotland has confirmed they are content with the principle of an extension in a contemporary style.

“When approached from the south, a main gateway route, the extension will be largely screened from public view by the existing building.”

The application is recommended for approval by officers. The decision would then have to be sent to Scottish Government ministers to be ratified.

A spokeswoman for Highland Council said: “The Old Achintore school building is a grade B listed historic building which has been empty for over a quarter of a century. It has fallen into a derelict state and members agreed at committee in 2013 to bring the Old Achintore School building back into use as their new civic hub incorporating the council’s main administrative offices, democratic services, service point and registration offices.”