Collection of industrial buildings to receive a long-awaited makeover

10:01:20 13th January 2010

A collection of historic industrial buildings in Scotland are to be regenerated in a £5.4 million overhaul.

The sugar shed warehouses in Inverclyde are an internationally recognised landmark, praised by Prince Charles and recognised by the World Monuments Fund and UNESCO as one of the 100 most endangered sites in the world, reports the Scotsman.

The structures will become home to a mixed-use development including a restaurant and museum, states the newspaper.

Principal inspector of buildings for Historic Scotland Ranald McInnes told the Scotsman the sugar warehouses are an integral part of the country's history and was pleased a new use had been found for them.

"It is a very, very important part of industrial archaeology, and it's fantastic to see it saved," he said.

The long-awaited project forms part of an ambitious £180 million master-plan to develop Inverclyde's historic James Watt dock by urban regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde.

The development, which has received planning permission, will include the construction of over 1,000 homes, a hotel and a marina with combined workshop.

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