Former Aviemore Health Centre has been bought after lying empty for over three years
The site of the former Aviemore Health Centre - which closed more than three years ago - now has a new owner.
Highland Council has acquired the building which has lain vacant since the opening of the new nearby Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital which welcomed its first patients in September 2021.
The health centre was relocated to the hospital at Dalfaber as part of the redesign of NHS services in the strath.
It is intended that up to 20 council houses will be built on the site at Muirton although no official plans have been submitted and assessments are on-going.
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At one time, the council had investigated if the site could be used to accommodate the expansion of Aviemore Primary School.
The building had been mooted as a potential home for the nursery freeing up space at the adjacent primary school.
However, roll projections for Aviemore Primary School indicate as things stand the current building can meet capacity demands.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “The initial intention is to demolish the building and leave the cleared site for a period of time.
“This will give the council the opportunity to assess the best use of the site in the context of wider developments in Aviemore and any other competing interests which may influence the final build proposals.
“But it is intended that the site will deliver up to 20 units for housing but the number of units will be determined by housing requirements of the local community.”
The selling price was assessed by a district valuer and is £190,000.
Alastair Dargie, chairman of Aviemore Community Council, said: “We are delighted to see Highland Council continuing to invest in new council housing stock on our community.
“It is clear from the recent Community Action Plan that affordable housing stock is the single largest issue for those that love, work or operate businesses in the area.
“We eagerly await the plans for the site to see how Highland Council can utilise the space in the best interests of the future residents and those that surround the site at the moment.
“It's a deceptively large site with amazing views to the Cairngorms so could make some beautiful affordable housing in perpetuity for the community."
Craig Mills, chief executive of the Cairngorms Business Partnership, said: "It's great to see housing developments continuing in the area, especially those providing affordable housing which most people know is desperately needed.
“This development is a welcome step for many in the community.
“To truly maximise the area's potential and address housing needs, we need to see more initiatives like this.
“Housing in the national park is in high demand and unfortunately rising costs have made it prohibitive for house builders to develop, this is the same story across most of Scotland.
“We know that Highland Council aim to build over 3000 new homes over a 5 year period, it is good to see this is happening in the Cairngorms region.
“One of the biggest challenges facing businesses in the area is where to house staff, I would hope that some of this housing can be used to ease some of this pressure."
Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes (SNP) said: “I am pleased to hear that Highland Council have acquired the former Aviemore Health Centre site and plan to create around 20 homes here.
“I trust that this is welcome news to many of you who will be acutely aware of the growing need for affordable homes.”
But retired district nurse, midwife and former Marie Curie community nurse Janis Bootle believes that the former medical centre would be far better used as a care home and respite centre for the terminally ill.
The Marie Curie fundraiser said: “There not enough beds for the care of the terminally ill in Aviemore and communities in the wider Badenoch and Strathspey area.
“It is such a pity this building is not being retained for healthcare.
“It would be easy to convert to to a care home, there is an ageing population and problems with bed blocking at the Badenoch and Strathspey Community Hospital in Aviemore and at Raigmore Hospital.
“It is too good a building to demolish.”
Aviemore Primary School currently has a roll of 213 pupils from P1 to P7. The maximum capacity is 284 pupils.
The roll is projected to be 193 pupils in five years’ time and 194 pupils in a decade from now - just 68 per cent of maximum capacity.
