An Inverness block of flats destroyed by fire during a police incident in March last year could finally house tenants again by autumn.
In March last year, Krzystof Andruczak, a resident of the building on Polvanie View, was locked in a tense standoff with police.
Wearing a gas mask equipped with two knives and a heavy metal chain, he climbed down from the first floor of the flats and tried to attack several officers.
The officers escaped with no serious injuries, and Mr Andruczak was taken into custody after being shot in the leg by an officer.
During the incident, other residents were forced to flee as the building caught fire, damaging the roof and interior, causing an estimated £2m worth of damage.
Workers later discovered a cache of deadly weapons, including a crossbow, bayonet, slingshot and hatchet during the clean-up.
Following the incident, Mr Andrusczak faced several charges, including the attempted murder of five police officers, wilful fire-raising and assault.
However, he was acquitted at a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow in February this year after prosecutors accepted he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
‘Positive progress’ in rebuilding the Polvanie View flats.
The building owned by Caledonia Housing Association (CHA) has been fenced off since the incident as builders assessed the damage and made necessary repairs.
Reconstruction of the flats began in January under the direction of local firm Capstone Construction and should be completed by autumn this year.
Andrew Kilpatrick, director of assets at CHA said: “Following the fire at Polvanie View, our immediate action was making the structure safe before focusing on creating the designs to reconstruct the damaged parts of the building.
“We are pleased that positive progress has been made and are working to a completion in the autumn.
Throughout the reconstruction, the tenants that did reside at Polvanie View moved to other accommodations.
Mr Kipatrick added: “Our main focus at Caledonia has been on supporting the families affected by the incident.
“We look forward to welcoming our tenants back to their homes once the work is complete.
“If tenants chose not to return, the remaining homes will be made available through the joint Highland Housing Register.”
