VITAL work began last week on the extensive transformation programme to rework the Royal Hotel on the seafront at Rothesay.
The multi-million pound project is predicted to revitalise the front of the town and hugely enhance the skyline on the approach to Bute.
Six architect teams made a bid to restore and revamp the town centre site. The winner, ZM Architecture of Glasgow began work on the job this week.
Leading the architectural change is Nick Blair. ZM Architecture’s team is described as “very much hands-on practitioners”.
Nick specialises in working with important historic buildings, their conservation, repair, adaptation and re-use.
Previous projects include the Bookpoint shop front improvement scheme in Dunoon and the Avenue Screen at Inveraray.
The owner of the Royal Hotel and key to the redevelopment programme is George Hanson. He told The Isle of Bute News: “We have now completed the procurement process and the architect is in place.
“We will be holding a meeting of his full team this week and over the next few months the building will be cleaned out, surveyed, checked for rot and redesigned.
“According to the revised programme it’s looking like a site start date of May next year if not sooner.”
The £5.4m project is supported by the Community Regeneration Partnership Fund and the Argyll and Bute Council Islands Programme. The aim of the high-profile project is to secure the building’s long-term future through conservation, commercial reuse and quality residential conversion.
Argyll and Bute Council confirmed all the funding it currently needs for the project is in place.
The major slice of £4m funding comes out of a £20m award by the UK Government to Argyll and Bute Council from its Community Regeneration Partnership Fund (CRPF). This source of funding is focused on boosting opportunities and driving positive change across communities.
George Hanson is investing a million pounds into the programme and described it as “very exciting”.
He said he is keen to ensure people are kept up to date with progress along the way. And if there are any delays, he’ll get those addressed and into the public domain as well.
The restoration project will include apartments and retail units.
Phase one will cost £2.9m, with phase two running at £2.5m.
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