There’s a sudden rush of guarded optimism that work to restore one of Ottawa’s most prominent symbols of urban blight could begin as early as this fall.

City council’s built heritage committee voted Tuesday to endorse a plan to restore Somerset House, a 127-year-old heritage building in Centretown that has sat vacant since a partial collapse in 2007.

It’s the third such plan, but the architect behind the latest design told the committee this time is different.

“This time we have a very strong mandate on behalf of the client to proceed,” said Richard Chmiel. “If we can get our permits by October, they’d be willing to start construction this fall.”

His design would put a three-storey red-brick addition on the site of the collapsed eastern wing, while restoring the existing heritage structure.

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