A popular café in Inverness, Scotland, has encountered opposition from a prominent architectural heritage organization regarding its planned exterior renovation. Roots Café, located in the Crown area of the city, is seeking approval to replace its existing timber windows and doors with aluminum-clad alternatives as part of a broader facelift project, but the Edinburgh-based Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland has formally objected to the proposal.
Roots Café opened its doors in March after taking over the former Velocity Café site on the corner of Crown Avenue in the Crown district. The establishment is operated by River Elliott and Rebecca MacKintosh, both former staff members of Velocity who were determined not to let a beloved community gathering place disappear. Their swift reopening of the café was warmly welcomed by local residents who had grown attached to the familiar meeting spot over the years.
Since its reopening, the café has maintained much of the exterior appearance from its days as Velocity, with only new signage above the windows marking the change in ownership. The current renovation application proposes repainting the existing blue exterior with a Mid Stone color to better harmonize with the surrounding local masonry and architectural elements in the area.
However, the most controversial aspect of the renovation plan involves replacing the traditional timber doors and windows with modern aluminum-clad alternatives. This particular element has drawn strong criticism from the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, a national charity that has been dedicated to protecting the country's built heritage since the 1950s. The organization argues that these proposed changes would be inconsistent with the character and historical significance of the Crown Conservation Area.
In their formal objection, the heritage society stated that while the building itself is not individually listed, it occupies a highly sensitive location at the boundary between retail and residential elements of the Conservation Area and contributes meaningfully to its overall character. They emphasized that the Crown Conservation Area is specifically recognized for its coherent streetscape, historic detailing, and balanced transitions between different land uses.
The society's detailed critique highlighted that the building, though modest in scale, presents as a historic retail unit and plays an important role in maintaining the area's architectural continuity. They noted that the traditional shopfront arrangement, including the specific proportions and detailing of the existing windows and doors, is entirely consistent with the Conservation Area's historic character and should be preserved.
The organization expressed significant concern that replacing the existing traditional-style timber windows and doors with new aluminum units of different design would not align with the established materials and proportions typical of the Conservation Area. They warned that such changes would erode the architectural coherence that makes the area special and worthy of conservation status.
Furthermore, the heritage society emphasized that even small alterations in a Conservation Area can cumulatively diminish its character and appearance over time. They argued that approving this application would set an undesirable precedent for other unsympathetic interventions in the future, potentially opening the door for similar changes that could gradually compromise the area's historic integrity.
While acknowledging that the café building itself may not possess individual architectural or historic significance, the society stressed that it contributes positively to the setting of the Conservation Area and plays a valuable role in the transition between commercial and residential uses. They argued that this contribution should not be underestimated when considering proposals that would affect the building's external appearance.
The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland has called upon Highland Council to reject the current application unless the café owners agree to take a like-for-like approach when replacing the existing timber windows and doors. This would mean using materials and designs that closely match the original features rather than introducing modern aluminum alternatives that would alter the building's character and its contribution to the Conservation Area's historic streetscape.
