The university has secured funding from the SSEN Regional Community Benefit Fund towards the costs of developing the former HSS Hire unit at 58 Harbour Road. The premises were previously occupied by tool hire firm HSS Hire, which announced its closure late last year, leading to a number of redundancies.

Having agreed a long-term lease with building owner, Ark Estates, UHI Inverness is set to breathe new life - and hope - into the site by establishing a Sustainable Construction Centre with the modern campus boasting classrooms, workshops and a social area. The new state-of-the-art centre replaces UHI Inverness’ previous training facility at nearby Burnett Road to support the expansion of its construction-related curriculum to meet growing demand for skills in the construction and renewable energy sectors. 

In keeping with the sustainable ethos of the site which UHI Inverness says will “also act as a hub for collaboration between industry stakeholders, contractors and developers and provide a dedicated base for research and development of sustainable technologies”, Ark Estates - with the support of Handelsbanken - has retrofitted the 12,000 sq ft unit with solar panels, heat pump technology and LED lighting.

Ark Estates, managing director, Willie Gray, said: “We are delighted to welcome UHI Inverness as the new tenant of 58 Harbour Road. The unexpected closure of the HHS Hire branch there led to a number of job losses locally, so it is great to see the establishment of the new Sustainable Construction Centre on the site, which will train the next generation of skilled workers across sectors such as construction and renewable energy.

“As we are doing with all commercial units across our portfolio, we have invested heavily in making sure 58 Harbour Road is as energy efficient as possible with the installation of the latest clean energy solutions making the building as close to net zero as we can get with retrofitting an existing structure.”

UHI Inverness received a grant of £352,000 from SSEN Transmission’s Regional Community Benefit Fund to contribute to the initial development of the Sustainable Construction Centre.

Speaking about the new training facility, UHI Inverness tertiary education leader Carrie Higgins, said: “We are delighted to have secured the unit at 58 Harbour Road, which was just what we were looking for to achieve our sustainable construction training growth ambitions. The centre forms an important part of UHI Inverness’ response to the burgeoning demand for skills across the region associated with economic development and housing.” 

Kenny McKenzie, associate (commercial) at letting agents for the property, Graham + Sibbald, added: “There’s real demand from the commercial property market for energy efficient units and 58 Harbour Road - where great effort has been made to bring the operating carbon footprint of the building to virtually zero - is a good case in point. Ark Estates is very much leading the way with the work it is doing to its portfolio of properties to introduce sustainable technologies and future proof them for long term tenants.”