Here we have a look at some of the noteworthy planning applications submitted to Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils over the past week.
Potential changes coming to the area include proposals to demolish a petrol station’s car wash to make way for electric vehicle charging points, keeping a landfill going for an extra 10 years and an arty addition to Aberdeen University.
Chester Hotel marquee here to stay?
Aberdeen’s Chester Hotel was one of many venues that embraced outdoor dining as bosses adapted to the challenges posed by Covid last year.
A marquee was put up outside the former Hamilton School next door, which the hotel bough amid expansion plans in 2017.
The 20m open-sided structure ensured there was plenty space for people to enjoy a visit while remaining distant.
It has proven such a hit that owners Graham and Gillian Wood are now asking for permission to keep it there for an extra year.
Their application details plans for the Chester Hotel marquee to remain in place until at least next September.
Will this be welcome news for the scores of diners who converted to outdoor hospitality during the pandemic, and are in no rush to get back indoors?
Car wash to be replaced with charging points
More and more drivers are choosing to join the electric highway, with recent petrol shortages fuelling demand for more eco-friendly forms of transport.
And in a sign of these changing times, the Essso garage on North Anderson Drive in Aberdeen has lodged a proposal to knock down its car-wash facility and replace it with five electric vehicle charging points.
The station, just off the Haudagain roundabout, is currently surrounded by roadworks amid a major project to ease congestion at the notorious bottleneck.
The Motor Trade website reported on a spike in the sales of electric vehicles amid the fuel crisis.
Landfill lacks rubbish
Aberdeen-based Taylor Industrial Services wants to extend the lifespan of the East Hatton landfill site near Balmedie – claiming it will take another decade to fill the dump up.
The firm was granted permission to use the spot in 2009, and recycling habits have changed so much since then that there is more room left there than originally envisaged.
There has also been less waste sent to the 47 hectare site as a result of offshore drilling since the oil and gas downturn.
The company says about 38% of the site hasn’t been used, and is appealing for the end date to be extended beyond 2023.
Arty ‘totems’ to add a touch of colour to new science centre
Aberdeen University’s £35 million science teaching hub is nearing completion, and should be open by the start of next year.
To draw attention to the new addition to the campus, plans have been formed to erect four “totems” along Beford Road.
Each will be designed by a local artist, with themes of biological science, chemistry, geology, and life science and medication.
Dunnottar Castle visitor centre
One of the most significant applications lodged was for a £3.5 million visitor centre at Dunnottar Castle, outside Stonehaven.
Owners Dunecht Estates reckon it could nearly double the historic attraction’s annual worth to the local economy.
It would be would be accompanied by 10 houses on the other side of the Coastal Tourist Route.
You can read our full report here.
Could former oil office be your next home?
Much has been made of Aberdeen’s surplus of offices following the downturn.
Locals, understandably, are usually keen to see as many redundant buildings as possible brought back into use.
Property owner Peter Dalgarno has now lodged plans to turn a disused 1970s office on Don Terrace into a bungalow.
Scroll along to see how the building could change –
The building, on a quiet back street just off Great Northern Road, was previously used by the Byron Ltd engineering firm.
The Polka design agency says the layout of the home won’t differ too much from its previous use, with just some tweaks needed to provide “a comfortable living environment”.
They say: “The current Covid-19 pandemic and decreasing slump in the oil and gas industry has seen a major downturn in the use of office space, and this building may be difficult to lease out in the future.”
Quarry could expand
The owners of Savoch Quarry at Longside want to extend the site after venturing beyond the original “permitted area” while digging.
As well as asking to expand, bosses want the go-ahead to continue excavating there until 2041 rather than 2026 as first agreed.
Savoch Quarry and Recycling Ltd say the proposals provide for the extraction of a million tonnes of rock.
Mortgage broker keen to bag new premises
The former Casepoint luggage store on Inverurie High Street became an understandable casualty of the pandemic, when there weren’t many suitcases being packed.
It had been a feature in the Aberdeenshire town for 11 years.
Now, after more than a year of sitting empty, plans are afoot to give it a new lease of life.
Gail Reid Mortgage Services, presently based at Thainstone Business Centre, is applying for permission to take it over as a new office.
Approval would mean another empty town centre building being occupied, after councillors recently endorsed plans for a take-away to take over a former Farmfoods.
Spotted any plans you think we should know about? Get in touch at cityandshire@ajl.co.uk