Campaigners plotting the restoration of the abandoned Leanchoil Hospital in Forres believe their £5 million vision could be a template for communities across Scotland to follow. The Victorian complex was closed in 2018 with NHS Grampian saying the buildings were unfit for purpose and too costly to upgrade. Instead of letting the B-listed buildings crumble, locals have stepped up to draw up a new vision for the grounds.
Initial plans have now been submitted for the former Leanchoil Hospital to be transformed into a specialist immersive classroom and training room, a Stem classroom for three to eight-year-olds, a digital health support facility and cafe. Meanwhile, the former maternity unit could be demolished with stonework used to build a 38-unit supported accommodation building for Hanover Scotland. The Leanchoil Trust says the project could soon become a template for others across the country.
Timeline to reopen doors at Leanchoil Hospital Leanchoil Trust chairwoman Marianne Nicolson’s connection with the Forres hospital stretches back decades. The former professor of oncology at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, who continues to work part-time at Raigmore, was born in the maternity unit and had her tonsils removed at the hospital when she was five. The campaigner told the Press and Journal a full planning application is expected to be submitted in the coming months.
If planning permission is secured early next year then the trust hopes building can begin in 2026 with the doors .