The owners of Archaeolink Prehistory Park in Aberdeenshire have revealed their plans for the site after purchasing it earlier this year.
Mike Bisset and Shaun Scott acquired the Oyne land from Aberdeenshire Council in March.
Archaeolink Prehistory Park opened in 1997, receiving £4 million funding from Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Enterprise and Scottish National Heritage.
However, it closed in 2011 as the site failed to attract enough visitors to be viable.
Now, the new owners want to bring the site back to life – with something beneficial for the local community.
Mike and Shaun have brought the former visitor centre to the market for just £150,000 – in hopes a developer can add a hospitality hotspot to the area.
They are also in discussions with local contractors over building a range of houses on some of the 13.75 acres of land.
Why two locals bought historic site
The owners both live close to the village of Oyne and have been watching the site with keen interest over the years as locals.
However, they hatched a plan of their own and following discussions with the council, agreed a deal to take ownership of the site.
Mike said: “It has been for sale for a long time, probably 11 or 12 years on the market.
“We’d heard of interest in the past and everybody local just wants something positive to happen with it.
“Then Shaun asked me if I would be interested in having a crack at it together, so we hatched a plan and followed through with it.
“We knew what we were getting into and nothing has surprised us so far.”
The pair revealed they have already spent around £15,000 on the site clearing debris as well as overgrown vegetation.
Archaeolink building is in ‘very good condition’
Shaun and Mike believe the building is in a very good condition, despite being abandoned for more than a decade.
Shaun said: “We’ve had to do a bit of work to the actual site and so you could even make it to the door of the building.
“If you came here eight months ago, you wouldn’t have even got a push bike to the building.
“The mud huts are also gone, it was a wonder they lasted so long and weren’t on someone’s head.
“But the actual building and its structure is sound. It still has its electrics and supplies in place which is pretty impressive.
“When you go inside the building you can see it’s almost bone dry and it won’t take much to fit it into shape.
“The building is huge, which is why it could so easily be turned into a multi-use venue, maybe even something like the Trinity Centre.”
Why are the pair selling the building?
Selling or leasing the former visitor centre building has been the plan since day one for the local pair, but why?
Shaun said: “Someone else coming in to run the building on the site makes the most sense.
“We could kit out the building no bother, but it isn’t our expertise to run it – and that is exactly what it needs.
Mike said the pair were never interested in buying the site only to make a “quick buck”.
He added: “We want to make sure it comes back to life and adds something to the area.
“For this to go to plan, someone has to be very good at their game. If they are, it will work out of here no problem.
“It’s also why it is up for £150,000 and not more – we want to make sure the right eyes see it.”
“We’re interested in building houses on the land. The building can bring in local employment as there is very little if anything at the moment.
“We’re talking to local planners just now to build a range of two to five bedroom houses.”
Archaeolink owners will make sure the community’s voice matters
Mike and Shaun say it isn’t a case of the highest bidder coming in and automatically gaining access to the building.
Mike said: “We’ve been in an open dialogue with the local community since the very beginning, there are no secrets.
“The beauty of our position is we will know what fits right for the area and we can decide ultimately who gets their hands on it.
“It’s vital they have a plan which works for the locals. I think there will be full-blown interviews for interested parties to make sure we’re on the same wavelength.”
Mike is also hoping once an operator got their hands on the developer’s building they could open their doors within a year.
He continued: “There really is so much potential here, it’s a stunning building and someone has to do it justice.
“It could be a wedding venue, an entertainment centre, a coffee shop, a restaurant, a village hall – you name it.
“It’s easy to see what work needs done depending on its use or uses. It could be one, two or even three lots.
“We’ve been told there is already lots of interested parties, but again, the most important thing is it needs the right people.”
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