Council to consult the people of Invergordon on the possible disposal of the Bouchardon Bust

The Highland Council is launching a Common Good consultation giving the Invergordon community until 15 March 2024 to respond to the proposal to dispose, by sale, of the bust of Sir John Gordon by Edmé Bouchardon.

The bust is an asset of Invergordon Common Good Fund and was purchased by Invergordon Town Council in 1930, because Sir John Gordon was believed to be the founder of the town of Invergordon. The intention was to have the bust on public display.

Since the purchase, the value of sculptures by Edmé Bouchardon has increased significantly with the current value of this particular bust being in excess of £2.5m. Due to the high value and associated security risks the bust cannot be displayed publicly and it has now been held for a number of years in secure storage.

Invergordon Common Good fund has little else in the way of assets or property that can generate income. An options appraisal commissioned by Easter Ross Area Committee has indicated that it may be beneficial to consider the sale of the bust.

Any proceeds received would be a capital receipt for Invergordon Common Good fund which could offer the potential for investment that would result in the generation of an ongoing income stream for Invergordon Common Good. This would then be available to be used for the benefit of the Invergordon community.

This consultation is the first step in a lengthy process. The consultation document contains details of the background resulting in this consultation, the various steps and processes that must be considered as well as links to Area Committee reports containing more extensive explanations and the relevant policy document.

The Council is keen to hear the community’s views on the proposal and all submissions will be given full regard before a decision on whether, and how, to proceed is made. All consultation representations, responses and any final decision will be published on the Council website.

The consultation document is available at: Bust of Sir John Gordon by Bouchardon consultation | (highland.gov.uk)

Please submit written responses either by:

• email to common.good@highland.gov.uk or
• post to Sara Murdoch, The Highland Council HQ, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX or
• by completion of online Microsoft form accessed from the link in the consultation document.