A husband and wife team are spending millions of pounds in a bid to breathe fresh life back into Kingussie High Street.
Property developers Gordon and Maria Thomson are transforming the former Star Hotel into holiday homes, a cocktail bar and pizzeria.
The couple are also nearing completion of turning the former police station into eight holiday lets.
Mrs Thomson said she had been left “really distressed” at the state of the High Street and wanted to do something to rejuvenate the area.
The 3,600 sqft stone-built hotel has three floors and features a large lounge and bar area and function space alongside the 35 en suite bedrooms.
It was bought by the Thomson’s for £400,000 who along with private investors from across the globe are spending £1.6 million on renovations – plus another £160,000 of their own cash.
In 2019 they bought the former police station for an undisclosed sum and spent £750,000, along with private investors, turning it into eight flats for holiday rental and calling it No. 50 The High Street.
‘Huge investment’ made
Mrs Thomson, who moved to Kingussie from Edinburgh in 2004 and raised her children in the town, said: “It really distressed me how Kingussie had just been allowed to slip away.
“It used to be a very vibrant holiday place.
“We’ve made a huge investment into Kingussie High Street.
“The residents reaction has been very good. They are delighted.
“The Star Hotel has got a special place in everybody’s heart and people are really excited to see it coming back to life.
People are stopping us in the street asking when it’ll be open. There is excitement.”
“We are turning that into 17 luxury suites and reinstating the old bar turning it into a cocktail bar and woodfired pizzeria.
“Residents are really pleased with the police station because that was just looking unattractive.
“The ordinary people of Kingussie didn’t want it to be just another charity shop.
“It made me sad that the children of the area leave. With remote working they can come back and live but there isn’t nice bars for them to go to.”
“People are stopping us in the street asking when it’ll be open. There is excitement.”
Jobs boost for Kingussie residents
The Thomsons have also created dozens of new jobs for local residents and tradesmen from the surrounding area with roles including cleaners, maintenance, electricians and joiners.
Mrs Thomson said: “It’s brought a lot of employment to the town in terms of the builders and nice for them not to have to travel.
“We have a lot of tradesmen who have come down from Buckie so it’s the whole of the Highlands benefitting from this.
“In every area there is a need for beautiful holiday accommodation.
“This isn’t taking from the residential stock, either of the two of these.
“In Kingussie it is a fabulous area and most of the industries are based on tourism.
“The thing is that people say that the rates of pay are low but I know my tradesmen in the Highlands are paid more than my tradesmen down in Edinburgh.”
It is hoped No.50 The High Street will be ready to open next month with the cocktail bar and pizzeria ready this Summer with the rest of the development opening next Spring.
Further investment elsewhere
The Thomsons, owners of London Edinburgh Holdings, are also planning to spend between £1.5 to £2m turning the dilapidated, 19th-century farm buildings at Mains of Fingask, Kirkhill, near Inverness, into 20 homes.
Mrs Thomson said: “The way we work is that we don’t believe in knocking down buildings.
“The carbon footprint in the construction sector is something like 80%.
“By refusing to knock buildings down you are making a massive saving on it.
“We are really pleased about that.”
Investment welcomed by tourism body
VisitScotland regional leadership director for the Highlands Chris Taylor said: “We have all endured an extremely challenging couple of years, with the pandemic having a devastating impact on the Scottish tourism industry, so investment into the tourism product in the Highlands, that adds to the visitor appeal is to be welcomed.
“VisitScotland continues to focus on the responsible recovery of the industry, building a destination and visitor experience which allows tourism to flourish now and in the future.
“We’ll continue to work with, and support, businesses to ensure we rebuild this vital part of Scotland’s economy.”
Conversation