A derelict building is on the trail of a new lease of life as part of plans to enhance a north-east town centre.
The former John Trail bookshop on Mid Street, Fraserburgh has lain empty since fire gutted the property a decade ago.
In 2015, it was placed on the buildings at risk register and the prominent town centre location looked to have a bleak future.
However, an Aberdeenshire-based regeneration body is now hoping to bring it back into use as a hotel as part of the £550,000 revamp as part of the Fraserburgh 2021 Regeneration Scheme.
The North East Scotland Preservation Trust (NESPT) is attempting to strike a deal so they can take on ownership of the store.
The trust is keen for a specialist architect to take on the project with the indicative cost of repairs on the unlisted building estimated at £1 million.
The search is also under way for an operator to potentially take on the running of the hotel. Paul Higson, project manager at NESPT, said a funding grant is available, but they need to secure a company to manage the lodgings before the builders can move in.
He added: “Funding is available from the Fraserburgh Heritage Regeneration 2021 Project to enable us to restore the building and convert it into a 10-12 bedroom hotel.
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“However, before the project can proceed, an experienced operator needs to be identified and signed up as the tenant of the completed development.
“The operator will be able to input fully into the design of the hotel and the range of facilities to be included.”
It is hoped a planning application can be made in the summer with the building work potentially completed in June 2021.
A council inspection, which was carried out in 2015, discovered that the inside of the building was still fire-damaged and there was extensive vegetation growth.
It is understood the local authority currently own the former bookshop.
A barber shop which operates out of one of the units at Mid Street is not part of the proposed redevelopment.
