Could a major Wick town centre eyesore soon be seen transformed by new owner?
A town centre eyesore in Wick could be transformed into residential lets if plans by Anker Tagdiwale get the go-ahead by Highland Council.
Mr Tagdiwale submitted plans to the local authority at the end of September to change the former Rendezvous restaurant at 55 High Street into short-term lets.
The former restaurant is located on the first floor of the building, directly above what has become a major bone of contention in the town centre: an eyesore street facade filled with a jumble of discarded furniture, where Semichem once had a shop.
The new owner provided plans for the first floor showing how the change of use from “Class 3 restaurant to residential short-term lets” will come about. The elevation plan shows seven bedrooms of around 10 square metres with en suite bathrooms. There is a communal shower room along with a living and dining room area. The plan also includes a kitchen space that appears to be for communal use by the tenants as well.
The building had a chequered history, with a popular restaurant and café run by the Cabrelli family occupying the spot until it closed in 2003. Various shops filled the ground level until Semichem took it over. However, it closed in March 2021, along with many other branches across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the north-east of England. The company cited changing shopping habits, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the reason for the closures.
The interior rapidly declined after the shop fittings were ripped out and the space was used to store a jumble of assorted furniture and bric-a-brac.
The building eventually went up for sale through Future Property Auctions, with the opening bid price of £19,000.
Members of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC) had condemned the unkempt building with large street-facing windows that clearly showed the extent of its decline to tourists and residents, but had problems contacting the owner.
At a meeting of the community council in April 2024, RBWCC member Joanna Coghill said: “It’s now a dumping ground, so I want to know when it got a change of use and I want answers.
“Do we go to planning, do we go to our ward manager? I want to know how we can chase that shop owner to tidy it up, as it’s a damn disgrace. It’s just disgusting.”
Open food containers and rodents were also seen within the building last year, and the former RBWCC chairman, Allan Farquhar, said that it was now “getting out of hand”.
Members wondered whether planning permission would have been required for a change of use from retail to storage.
Mr Tagdiwale bought the building at auction for £35,000, and though he has listed plans for changing the first floor, it is unclear what he intends to do with the contentious ground area.