Plans to conserve the future of one of Aberdeen’s oldest and most iconic buildings have been revealed, prompting a mixed reaction.
An application for listed building consent to alter, repair, and remove parts of the category A-listed Provost Skene’s House at Marischal Square has now been lodged with the city council.
The application is a step forward for multi-million-pound plans to transform the centuries old building into a tourist attraction celebrating the city’s most famous sons and daughters
Included in the lengthy proposal, which details a great deal of minor works all throughout the 16th century home, are plans to completely replace a lead flat roof, repair all of the windows and fix water-damaged plasterwork and masonry.
The application also seeks to remove the modern kitchen areas and freezer room inside the building – which was previously used as a museum showing what life in Aberdeen was like in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries – and create new toilets, a reception and gift shop areas.
Conservation work has also been outlined for the building’s famous painted ceilings.
Aberdeen City Council chiefs hope to reopen Provost Skene’s House, which was originally built in 1545 and has now been incorporated into the Marsichal Square complex as a “Hall of Heroes”.
The plans were originally costed at around £1.5 million, and the museum was due to open alongside the rest of the facilities at Marischal Square last year.
But in February it was announced the attraction was now scheduled to open in the winter of 2019-20.
Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart, however, fears the proposals will go too far and alter too much of the building’s structure.
He said: “I am deeply concerned to learn of plans that would see key features of Provost Skene’s House completely rebuilt.
“The Labour and Tory administration’s track record on Provost Skene’s House has been nothing short of abysmal.
“This project is looking less like a refurbishment and more like a rebuild, it has been continually delayed and of course it has been hidden away behind Marischal Square.
“Provost Skene’s House is one of Aberdeen’s most important historical buildings and, at the very least, work must be carried out to the highest standard – but with this administration’s track record, I am not holding my breath.”
A city council spokesman declined to comment on a “live application”.