Feasibility Study and Business Plan for Viewhill House

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Inverness City Heritage Trust wishes to appoint a conservation accredited architect or surveyor and team to produce a feasibility study, business plan and outline design brief to completion of RIBA stage 2 for the proposed reconstruction and reuse of Viewhill House in Inverness. Lot 1: 1.1 Introduction Inverness City Heritage Trust is an independent charity based in Inverness. The Trust’s main aim is to take a strategic view of the repair and maintenance needs of the buildings forming the historic core of the city and to co-ordinate a programme of conservation work funded by grant assistance. It also gives advice to building owners, produces publications and helps to organise events and exhibitions for people interested in the history of buildings and architecture in Inverness. 1.2 Background Viewhill House is a category B listed building and occupies a prominent site overlooking the river in the centre of Inverness. Dating from 1835, the building is of considerable heritage merit, both for its architectural significance and for its association with Joseph Mitchell who was a civil engineer who worked with Thomas Telford on the Caledonian Canal, and on the railway, the first sewerage system, extraction of the first water supply from the Ness and through his involvement with many road building schemes. Viewhill House was built as his primary residence. Viewhill House was last in use as the Inverness youth hostel. In 1998 the Scottish Youth Hostels Association declared the building to be surplus to requirements and it was put on the market. The building has since passed through the ownership of a number of property developers, however plans to redevelop the property have been abandoned following the virtual destruction of the building by fire in September 2007. The building currently stands as a ruined shell in a constrained site of around 2000 square metres with very limited vehicular access. It’s reuse is considered a priority for the Trust as part of its strategic vision to move towards self-sufficiency through development of market-failure properties and taking a subsequent rental income from a property portfolio. Highland Historic Buildings Trust recently commissioned a condition survey for Viewhill House which concluded that the building is capable of restoration. Following on from this, the Inverness City Heritage Trust wishes to commission a feasibility study in order to determine a viable and financially sustainable new use for the building. 1.3 Requirement The Trust wishes to commission a detailed feasibility study, business plan and outline design work in order to determine a viable new use for Viewhill House. The Trust is keen to explore creative ideas for an end use, especially given the constrained nature of the site and lack of vehicular access. Both single and multi-use options will be considered with a partial space for public use encouraged. The Trust’s offices are to be based in Viewhill House as well as perhaps provision of a small museum to Joeseph Mitchell and highland architects. Repairs to the existing historic fabric of the building will be guided by Historic Environment Scotland’s standards and the building should retain its main façade and south facing elevation and reform the historic roof line. A sympathetic outline design which respects the surviving historic material and the wider conservation area is essential.. Condition Survey HHBT’s condition survey is not currently available to the general public. It will be made available to those selected to proceed to stage 2.