Highland Council is holding behind-the-scenes talks over a potential bid for Inverness College’s former headquarters in the city.
The local authority is “very seriously” interested in establishing new offices at the college’s former Longman Road campus – which has lain empty and boarded up for more than a year.
Demands to clear the eyesore building have been growing – and now council leader Margaret Davidson has suggested that the local authority could step in.
The impasse over the future of the building has been highlighted again as the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service press ahead with plans to build a new £23million courts complex on land next to the former college.
Mrs Davidson said that the council was keen to provide offices for its criminal justice services department to tie in with the new justice centre.
She said the current building was “less than lovely” and progress on developing it would be very welcome.
She said: “It’s something the council is looking at very seriously.
“The idea of consolidating our services with the new justice centre is very much worth examining.”
The college had said “a number of parties” had expressed an interest in the building – while last night chief executive Diane Rawlinson said the body is working with other agencies on the “disposal” of the site.
But Pat Hayden, chairwoman of Crown and City Centre Community Council, suggested holding a raffle for having the honour of pulling the plunger on the demolition – which she suggested would be likely to prove very popular.
She added: “As a community council we are very supportive of the plans for the new justice centre.
“We think that’s a very welcome development in so many ways.
“But the last thing you want is for the new building to be completely overshadowed by a tatty old building, because that’s really all the college is.
“We’re anxious for the situation with the college to be resolved.”
“The best thing that could be done is demolish it and move on, nobody is going to want the old building.”
Mrs Rawlinson, principal and chief executive at Inverness College UHI, said: “The college is continuing to actively support the disposal of the Longman site by working with relevant agencies and providing information as required.”