An armed forces charity will transform a nurse accommodation building near Leanchoil Hospital into an activity and day centre for veterans.
Erskine will make minor alterations to the interior of the building to get it ready for its new temporary use.
The work includes taking down internal walls to support the change of use for three years.
This is until refurbishment work is completed at the hospital in Forres, which closed to patients in late 2018.
This comes after Moray Council approved listed building consent.
In October, we revealed the temporary plans.
Hopes for the facility
The charity already has the Reid MacEwen Centre in Bishopton, near Glasgow.
It provides a space for veterans to socialise and engage with people who have shared experiences, learn new skills, explore interests and access support.
They are hoping to provide a similar style facility in Forres.
Moray has a higher-than-average population of armed forces, with RAF Lossiemouth and Kinloss Barracks in the region.
While permission has been granted, Erskine chief executive Ian Cumming says the nurse accommodation is one of the buildings the charity is looking at as a temporary base for the veteran’s activity centre.
Mr Cumming said: “Erskine’s Board of Trustees is keen to see the delivery of a veteran’s activity centre in Morayshire.
“Our long-term vision is for these services to be delivered from within the refurbished Leanchoil Cottage Hospital – which will also include a shared community space and health & wellbeing hub.
“However, that vision will take several years for The Leanchoil Trust to achieve, and Morayshire Veterans need our help now.”
It is important that any interim venue is well suited for service delivery.”
Erskine chief executive Ian Cumming
He added: “Therefore, in the interim, we are investigating a number of short-to-medium term venues, which can help us both demonstrate and meet the needs of local veterans.
“The Nurses’ Home is one such venue under consideration.
“Planning consent and capital expenditure are two of the several factors which we will be evaluating for the board’s consideration.
“It is important that any interim venue is well suited for service delivery and well-sited for accessibility.”
What is the long-term project for Leanchoil Hospital?
In the long term, the Leanchoil Trust and veteran charity want to create a veteran’s activity centre in the hospital.
The £4m project could include a cafe, meeting rooms, clinics and other community uses.
Leanchoil Trust development officer Jo Lenihan has previously said it was an “exciting project” for the region.
Back in June, NHS Grampian approved Leanchoil Trust’s community transfer request in principle and the trust recently landed a £400,000 boost from the Scottish Land Fund.
The purchase price of £340,000 has been agreed for the sale of the Leanchoil and surrounding woodland.
Work is still ongoing to close the purchase of the former hospital.
Erskine’s team has previously spoken about its excitement at moving into the north of Scotland.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at sean.mcangus@pressandjournal.co.uk
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