After nearly six years, the Poundland building in Elgin town centre is beginning to emerge from behind scaffolding.
Since May 2018 the prominent Victorian corner building has been shielded from the public due to worries it may collapse.
Complex and arduous construction work has taken place with the sandstone structure dismantled before being painstakingly rebuilt again.
The Poundland project has caused disruption to Elgin High Street, with North Street being closed throughout to make way for the extensive scaffolding structure.
However, the beginning of the end is now in sight for the town centre.
Why Poundland works in Elgin have taken so long
The first Elgin shoppers knew about the damage inside the Poundland building was when Moray Council served a dangerous building notice on it.
However, the impact of years of neglect to the B-listed structure had started long before that.
A structural report outlined that water had been seeping in through the roof unchecked, which caused damage to the interior.
It is understood some of the upper floors had collapsed and the damage stretched to the basement.
Poundland were tenants in the building but bought it outright in order to fund the repairs and reconstruction.
Initially it was expected that the repairs would only take a few months.
However, that timeline was extended once the scale of the damage was revealed.
Negotiations over the sale of the building, the Covid pandemic and a fire extended the project further.
Business leaders say “lessons need to be learned” to ensure the town centre isn’t disrupted to the same extent again.
When will Poundland move back to High Street?
Poundland initially continued to trade in Elgin from the same store with a temporary entrance to avoid the scaffolding.
However, the retailer was forced to move after a fire in the building in August 2022.
The firm moved to a temporary store next to TK Maxx a few months later.
No date has been announced for when they will move back to their refurbished High Street shop.
Poundland has been contacted to comment.
Latest pictures of Elgin Poundland
‘Lessons need to be learned’: Hopes Poundland works in Elgin will finally end in 2024
Conversation