A north-east community group is striving to transform its local village hall into a meeting place and cafe.
Fetterangus village hall, also known as the Chalmers Institute, is a well-known stone building at the heart of the Buchan village.
The hall committee orchestrating the renovation project has lodged plans with Aberdeenshire Council to build a new extension to house a community cafe. The new premises would also include space for a visiting nurse practitioner.
Peterhead architect Kevin O’Brien has submitted the scheme to the local authority.
In his proposal to council planners, Mr O’Brien said: “The hall committee wish to modernise the property by provision of a new one and a half storey extension, housing a community cafe, flexible meeting spaces ranging from small to medium-size and an area given over to the prospective locum nurse practitioner.”
An existing extension to the original hall would be torn down as part of the project.
The plan would also see the demolition of an existing public toilet, which would be replaced within the new extension. The initiative would ultimately see the centre being managed by the Fetterangus Community Association.
The main building has “sufficient architectural merit” on the side which faces the street, and this will be preserved in the refurbishment.
Mr O’Brien added: “The vehicle access to the car park is at present awkward and ill-conceived, seemingly having grown around necessity rather than being part of a coherent strategy.
“The Victorian hall is in fair condition externally and it is envisaged only minor repairs will be needed.”
At the moment, only nine cars can park on the Ferguson Street site, but rearranging the grounds could free up enough space for 18 vehicles at any one time.
The proposals to create the extension at Fetterangus village hall are open for public comment until the end of July and a decision is expected by September.