regeneration and investment | Dunoon

Dunoon gate lodge

The Gate Lodge at the bottom of Castle Hill in Dunoon is a Grade B listed building which is currently on Historic Environment Scotland’s buildings at risk register. Although the building has been the subject of exterior repairs over the years (this is a legal requirement of it’s Listed status), it’s interior is completely derelict with no partition walls, floor or even utilities connections and so has not been able to be used to its full potential.  

The Gate Lodge sits in a prominent location opposite the passenger ferry, within the Conservation Area and at the base of Dunoon’s medieval castle which is also a scheduled monument. It is in council ownership and given the listed status and prominent location the focus is on restoring and finding a new use for it.

The ongoing works are part of the next phase of rescuing the building and bringing the vacant building back into use. Part 1 in 2018 was the consolidation and saving of the existing structure from dilapidation at a cost of £160,000.  Part 2 which started in May 2022 consists of shell works to reinstate the finishes including windows, doors and new internal floor. A fit out contract scheduled in late 2022 will install internal finishes, utilities and fittings to finally allow the building to be occupied for the first time in over 20 years. Alongside this, a further contract will be issued for landscaping works around the Gate Lodge, within Castle Gardens to improve the buildings setting and accessibility. Part 2 works have been funded by the Crown Estates and Place Based Investment totalling £584,000.

The ambition is to provide a sustainable end use for the gate lodge that has a public and local emphasis. This extends to the use of traditional building materials which have been selected to work with the mass masonry wall construction in terms of their vapour permeability, breathability, environment credentials and reduced carbon footprint to promote the long term health of the building.  We are using materials such as lime mortar to repoint the exterior stonework, clay board instead of plasterboard for the interior ceilings, insulated lime plaster for the walls and a limecrete floor with recycled glass for insulation. All of these materials will allow the building to function properly whilst having a much lower carbon footprint than more modern materials.