Argyll & Bute Council has welcomed the progress being made in the ongoing renovation works on the Grade B listed Gate Lodge at the base of Dunoon's medieval castle.

The property is currently on Historic Environment Scotland's buildings at risk register. As part of Dunoon's Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), the Council is progressing with renovation plans to rescue and bring this much-loved building back into use.

Work started in May 2022 to install new windows, doors and floors along with drainage works to the exterior of the building. Work will continue until autumn and then a second phase will start to fit out the interior.

Once works complete, the ambition is to occupy the building, the first time in over twenty years.

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Councillor Robin Currie, Policy Lead for the Economy and Rural Growth, said: "We are delighted to be leading the renovation of this much-loved building. The transformation is part of the wider Dunoon CARS initiative, which has seen £1.5 million investment since 2017. Investing in our towns is critical for long-term economic success across Argyll and Bute.

"We look forward to bringing this important building back into use for local residents and visitors."

The restoration will include a number of traditional building methods including, lime mortar to repoint the exterior stonework, clay board instead of plasterboard and a limecrete floor with recycled glass for insulation. All of these materials allow the building to function with a much lower carbon footprint.

Works to the Gate Lodge form part of the Dunoon CARS project, which so far has completed three full-scale building repair projects, six shopfront renovations and sixteen shopfront improvement works. Traditional building skills training workshops have also taken place covering woodworking, stonemasonry, painting, and decorating.

The Council is investing to rescue the historic building with funding provided by Crown Estates and the Scottish Government's Place based investment fund.