Demolished town centre sites in Wick due to be handed over by end of October
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Sites formerly occupied by two eyesore buildings in Wick town centre are expected to be handed over to a local development trust by the end of this month.
The former Pavilion cinema and Dominoes nightclub, at the western end of High Street, was flattened in August. Work on the demolition of the old Sloans shop at the eastern end of High Street, at the junction with Shore Lane, started in early September and is progressing well.
Wick Development Trust – branded as Wick’s Heart – is in the process of securing ownership of both sites. It is hoped they can be redeveloped, tying in with the overall plans for town centre regeneration.
Wick's Heart co-chairperson Charlotte Mountford said: "We are working closely with the current owners and Wick firm BBM Solicitors to ensure the transfer to the community happens as smoothly and quickly as possible and we hope to secure ownership of both sites by October.
"People can check the Wick's Heart Facebook page for news and updates and we hope to be launching a new website soon."
It was announced in June that the former Dominoes nightclub and Sloans premises – respectively numbers 30 and 126 in High Street – were to be knocked down, having lain empty for decades, with ownership returned to the community once site clearance had been completed.
The move followed months of negotiations as part of the town centre regeneration effort led by Highland councillors for Wick and East Caithness.
Highland Council accessed grant aid from the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Fund and Town Centre Fund. This funding was provided to the Highland Housing Alliance (HHA) to acquire both properties and land and manage the process.
HHA undertook to demolish both buildings and ensure the safe removal of all debris and contamination before the transfer of both sites, previously owned by Argyle Properties (Dundee) Ltd, to Wick's Heart.
A Highland Council spokesperson said this week: “The council is delighted at the progress Highland Housing Alliance has made in clearing both 126 and 30 High Street. All works will be complete and the sites transferred to Wick’s Heart by the end of October."
