The £1.7 million project to renovate the former sail loft and Commercial Hotel in North Beach, Stornoway is well underway and on schedule for completion by August 2005, according to Western Isles Enterprise.

The project will create seven much needed new dwelling units  in the conservation area of Stornoway.  The accommodation will consist of three townhouses in the old sail loft and four apartments in the Commercial Hotel side of the site.

Local contractor John Murray & Co won the contract to restore the category A listed buildings which date from the late 18th/early 19th century and have been unoccupied since the 1990s.  Their condition had gradually deteriorated and their appearance had suffered due to broken windows and skylights, blocked gutters, moss growth and slipped slates, creating an unacceptable blight on the North Beach and one of the principal views of the harbour from the town centre.

A number of exciting discoveries of local historic interest have been made in the process of renovating the properties, so many that the Highland Buildings Preservation Trust is working with Ian Steven, a local artist and writer, to widen the interest of local people and a programme of events to explain some of the findings has been developed. 

They propose to create an oral archive based on people's memories of life and work in the sail loft, which will be interpreted in the form of community ceilidhs, both ashore and afloat; restoration of Jubilee and Broadbay boats, in conjunction with the Loch Erisort Trust and Ness Historical Society, as well as other activities to be held in conjunction with major events in Stornoway throughout the summer months.  The doors of the project will be thrown open to members of the public in April of  this year when there will be guided tours of both properties.  Members of the Trust and the project architect, Tom Duff of LDN Architects, Forres, will be available to answer questions about the restoration work.

Donnie Macaulay, chief executive of Western Isles Enterprise said: "Whilst we are delighted to have been able to assist this project through our environmental renewal programme to the sum of £100,000, this project would not have been able to come to fruition had the other agencies -  Historic Scotland, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the Architectural Heritage Fund - not added vital support to enable the Highland Buildings Preservation Trust to then apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund for grant funding. 

"When the conversion is completed in August this year, we will not only have much needed housing but also a major contribution to the regeneration of a part of Stornoway that reflects the town's maritime heritage.  We hope this restoration project will act as a catalyst to the restoration of other derelict properties on the North Beach and breathe new life into the town centre of Stornoway."

Mia Scott, Highland Buildings Preservation Trust said: "Although the sail loft was built principally as a harbourside warehouse for the storage and repair of sails and nets for the Stornoway fishing fleet, it was also used to provide accommodation for families working in the harbour area.  The buildings were last occupied as housing in the 1930s and two of the original families, the Porters and the Crockets, are still living in Stornoway today."