The directors of the Traill Hall Community Trust will be meeting next month to discuss the post and hope that the successful applicant will be able to source funding for a feasibility study to assess the state of the premises and its possible uses.

The study - estimated to cost around £18,000 - would involve architects, engineers and quantity surveyors who would produce fabric and structure reports and a conservation plan. Sources of funding for the renovation work would also be examined while a community consultation would be undertaken and preferred schemes developed. The Highland Buildings Preservation Trust will be involved in the initiative.

Rachel Cox, one of the five directors of the Traill Hall Community Trust, yesterday said it is hoped to employ the project manager for a three-month period.

"We intend to have a job description ready when we meet on August 17, advertise the post and take it from there," she told the Caithness Courier.

She acknowledged that the plans for the disused hall are taking longer than was anticipated but added: "There were unforeseen difficulties which caused us delays but we are confident that the development will proceed." She is confident that money can be found for the hall project, even though public expenditure is being cut.

"There is still funding available for the kind of things planned for the building. It may be more competitive than before because of the economic situation but we remain positive that the project will go ahead as planned," she stated.

Local community councillor Liz Geddes yesterday welcomed the latest development. "I am pleased that there is some progress being made as we have not heard anything about what is happening there for quite a while," she said.

"It would be good to see the hall being used again but I think the key thing is getting the right use for it. That is crucial. I would like to see things that would complement rather than compete with the Drill Hall and the youth club."

The Traill Hall Community Trust was set up in a bid to get the 19th-century building back into public use. It also had to get charitable status so that it can apply for funding in its own right.

The hall is one of a number of old buildings in Castletown which the Prince's Regeneration Trust is interested in seeing restored.

Others being looked at include the nearby disused church and the old mill beside the beach, while plans are being considered to create an attractive focus in the centre of the village and form a tree-lined link between Castletown and the harbour at Castlehill.

The hall was gifted to the people of Castletown by Margaret Traill, whose father, Sheriff James Traill, started the Caithness flagstone industry. It was used for a variety of purposes over the years but has been unoccupied for some time.

The bid to get the building restored has been driven by the local Casper Club, which is currently based at Castletown Primary School.

It has proposed using the premises as a childcare facility in conjunction with other options, such as a youth drop-in centre, a cyber café, a base for adult education and a place for access to health, education and employment professionals.

But the directors, who also include Stella Jones, Louise Furniss, Barbara Hiddleston and Caroline Swan, have emphasised that the community will be consulted about possible future uses of the building as part of the feasibility study.

It is thought the bulk of the money for the study could come from the Architectural Heritage Fund.

g.calder@nosn.co.uk

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