Council / Bruce Hostel goes up for sale
THE HISTORIC Bruce Hostel building at the old Anderson High School site has gone up for sale.
Owner Shetland Islands Council, however, says that proposals for its future use should “provide positive social and economic benefit”.
“Preference will be given to proposals which contain a strategy for the provision of residential accommodation, particularly for key workers,” sale documents said.
The B-listed building is one of four properties which remaining standing at the Lerwick site after the rest were demolished ahead of redevelopment.
It was originally built to provide boarding accommodation for school students.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said though dated 1919, construction work on the Bruce Hostel had already begun in 1914 and was not completed until 1923.
It was later followed by the B-listed Janet Courtney hostel, which dates to 1939.
HES says the building is a “striking feature” on the skyline, particularly when arriving by sea, and an “important part of the history of education in Shetland”.
The building was gifted to Shetland, by Robert Bruce of Sumburgh, and it provided residential accommodation to school pupils before changing use in its latter years, such as becoming a family centre.
An architect’s report on the site’s listed buildings from 2017 said the property was in the worst condition of the listed buildings at the site, although it was “basically sound”.
That report quoted an estimated £1 million cost to bring the building up to a condition where the masonry “is sound and the roof and glazing are free from defects”.
There is no asking price stated in the SIC’s sale, but offers will be evaluated on criteria such as price, a business plan, track record, timescale and social value.
Sale documents added: “While any proposed financial offer carries a high weighting in the evaluation process, the Shetland Islands Council is not required to accept the highest price but will take into account all of the required criteria.”
Meanwhile the green space in front of the original Anderson High School and the Bruce Hostel was identified by HES as being important to the setting of these buildings.
The grassed area in front of the Bruce Hostel is protected under a ‘Field of Trust’, which means the area is permanently protected for the benefit of the local community and nature.
The former Anderson High School site is set to be redeveloped with around 140 homes potentially being built.
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