Works have finally begun to repair an Inverness building more than a year and a half after a car crashed into it.
The building on the corner of Grant Street and Lochalsh Road was declared unsafe after a Mercedes collided with it in January 2021.
Four people were taken to hospital following the crash and the building has been cordoned off since.
Highland Council issued a dangerous building notice to each of the two owners, but one was “reluctant” to engage and failed to organise for repairs to be carried out.
Though the building had settled into the temporary scaffolding erected around it, it has still been moving slightly, so action needed to be taken quickly.
In June this year, the council stepped in, assigning a contractor to undertake the work in the interest of public safety with the owners to be billed once it is complete.
Works begin
Laing Traditional Masonry Group Ltd has been tasked with repairing the building over the course of 16 weeks.
With works beginning on September 5, this means it should be safe and repaired by the end of the year.
The contractor will first work to reinstate the building’s facade as per the structural engineer’s design.
To do this, the front of the first and second-storey levels will be removed, allowing teams to rebuild from the ground up.
Wherever possible, the existing stone will be used in the new facade.
It is hoped the repair work will also bring an end to the temporary traffic measures and diversions in place around the damaged building.
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