St Catherine’s Hotel demolition given go ahead after lying empty for 13 years

A hotel on the shore of Loch Fyne which has lain empty for approximately 13 years has been given the go-ahead for demolition by council chiefs.

The St Catherine’s Hotel, in the village of the same name, formerly known as the Old Ferry Inn, has not been functioning as accommodation since at least 2011.

A report noted that while the building could be repaired, there was “general support” among the community for the building to be demolished.

No objections were received by Argyll and Bute Council planning officers, and a listed building consent application has now been approved.

An officer said: “The special interest of this building is the historic use as an Inn rather than the building itself which is a later 18th century building.

“The building is in a state of disrepair, and there is vegetation growing from the roof. It is boarded up and security fencing was put up. It has not been functioning as a hostelry/hotel/inn since prior to 2011 (Google Street View) and the Buildings at Risk Register notes that an inspection in 2009 found the building to be in a poor state.

“Therefore, given there is no longer the appetite to operate this building as a hotel, and there appear to be no notable architectural features, a requirement to retain the shell of the building is unlikely to retain the significance it once had as a hostelry.

“The building has had numerous alterations and been extended which has left the building with little remaining parts that are of value.

“The building is not considered to have any architectural significance and the special interest in terms of the use of the site can be acknowledged by some form of interpretation sign and recording of the structure before demolition.”

The officer added: “The building is likely to be capable of repair and it has not been demonstrated otherwise. It is not essential however that the building is incapable of repair if it is demonstrated that demolition is required for another reason.

“In this instance there is no planning application for re-use of the site but there is general support from the community for this unused building to be removed to improve the general amenity of the area.

“There is equal concern however about it lying derelict following demolition but it is recommended that a condition is used to secure a remediation scheme to ensure the site does not remain unsightly prior to a re-use being brought forward.”