Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals lodged across the north-east.
Our Monday morning staple this week takes us on a tour of spots across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
This time we have railway arches being turned into a pool hall, a village church hall at risk of demolition and a row over a new art studio at a Banchory mansion.
But first, a popular Aberdeenshire attraction is in line for upgrades to keep visitors safe from falling debris…
Repairs needed as freezing weather damages Drum Castle tower
Scottish history bosses want to carry out a string of upgrades after freezing weather caused lumps of debris to fall from the tower at Drum Castle.
The outer wall of the feature started to crumble in late 2020.
Things would get worse that winter, with “larger sections of mortar” being blown off the building in storms – and water getting into the venue’s high hall.
As a result of the damage, a ceiling in a small corridor of the structure had to be taken down.
Experts were called in to inspect the 700-year-old tower and identify areas that needed to be “immediately removed” to prevent any risk to visitors.
And the Adams Napier Partnership has now completed a lengthy report on the issue, outlining ways to protect the beloved visitor attraction.
Problems worsened by ‘wind-driven rain’
The firm says a lack of maintenance after repointing in 2013 has “gradually allowed increasing amounts rainwater to re-enter the wall fabric”.
This, they say, has been exacerbated by “wind-driven rain” in recent years.
The experts conclude that owners, The National Trust for Scotland, need to consider measures which could “visually impact the character of the property” to help protect it.
They say this would be outweighed by the benefits of keeping dampness at bay “and reducing the health and safety risk from falling mortar”.
The heritage body is now seeking permission for lead coverings on the parapet walkway and ancient crenellations, along with additional downpipes.
They note that trials carried out in 2022 have proven successful.
Westhill church changes afoot
It comes at a time of varying fortunes for religious buildings across the north-east.
While some are destined for closure or lying empty, parishioners in Westhill have been given the council’s blessing to extend Trinity Church…
Though owned by the Church of Scotland, it’s used by three denominations on Sundays and stages activities throughout the week.
And an extension will now be built to provide office space for a secretary, associate minister, children’s development worker and an intern.
Plans have also been formed to increase the size of the car park, which gets busy on Sundays, with 31 new spaces on adjoining vacant land.
Derelict village church hall to be demolished
Meanwhile, in Cruden Bay, the hall at the rear of the Congregational Church on Main Street could soon be demolished.
The building is said to be “in a fairly poor condition”, suffering from a “lack of use, maintenance and investment over a fair period of time”.
Owners, Cruden Congregational Church, say it would cost £75,000 to 90,000 to restore the dilapidated venue.
It comes after a recent survey confirmed the 1950s building had a litany of issues.
Experts from DM Hall said demolition would come at the comparatively cheap cost of £15,000 to £25,000.
Bridge of Don library improvements
It’s been a trying time for Aberdeen library users, with six buildings due to close within weeks as a result of council budget cuts.
But while it’s bad news for literature enthusiasts in Woodside, Northfield, Ferryhill, Cornhill, Kaimhill and Cults… There’s some cheer for Bridge of Don members.
The council’s plans to do up the Scotstown Road facility have now been rubber-stamped.
About £130,000 will be spent on a new roof, windows and an automatic door.
More slavery information to be installed at Aberdeen University
Aberdeen University is taking more action to address the problematic past of a picturesque campus landmark.
Powis Gateway has stood opposite Aberdeen University’s King’s College along the High Street for nearly 200 years.
Last year, campus chiefs put up a plaque next to the striking structure explaining its links to slavery.
The brass plate explains how it was built in the early 1830s by the Leslie family, using profits from an estate in Jamaica where enslaved Africans were forced to work.
What’s more, the famous arches were funded by government compensation after the vile practice was finally abolished.
The new panel, proposed for a patch of grass behind the pillars, will elaborate on that further.
This design image reveals how it is planned to look:
Old hall of residence to become offices at Aberdeen University
Meanwhile, beyond Powis Gateway, separate plans have been forged for Aberdeen University’s old Crombie halls of residence.
The blocks have been vacant for six years, as students went off the idea of catered accommodation.
Crombie was the first mixed halls of residence building in Britain when it was opened by The Queen in 1960.
And it was credited with helping the university bounce back after the war.
The building, and the accompanying Johnston block, had been a part of university life for 50 years by the time they closed.
Now, Aberdeen University has lodged plans to convert the dozens of rooms into offices.
It comes amid efforts to relocate the business school from its home in the McRobert Building to the dormant Johnston halls.
Following a refurbishment, it’s hoped to open in 2024.
Macduff flats plan approved despite complaints from neighbours
In February, Planning Ahead revealed proposals to bring a decaying eyesore in Macduff back to life as flats.
The 22-24 Duff Street block has been crumbling into disrepair for years.
But now Alan Robertson, from Whitehills, has been given permission to breathe new life into the former Petals and Pearls bridal shop.
He wants to create a new ground floor shop with three flats upstairs.
David Gault and Mark Grayham, who live nearby, both objected on the grounds it would worsen parking problems.
But Aberdeenshire Council planners confirmed roads bosses had no quarrel with the plans as they approved Mr Robertson’s vision for the building.
Row over art studio in garden of millionaire’s Banchory mansion
Waterstone House, just a stone’s throw from the River Dee in Banchory, was sold for £1.1 million in 2018.
The country manor was built in the former walled garden of the adjacent Banchory Lodge Hotel in 1973, and is described as “one of the town’s finest family homes”.
New owner Mike Wilson bought it after netting £40 million from the sale of his Ecosse Subsea Systems firm to US group Oceaneering.
At the same time as buying the house along The Mews, he acquired the 850 metre Banchory Fishings stretch of the Dee for £1.35 million.
Relocating to Aberdeenshire, the “enthusiastic fisherman” said he was able to “make a dream come true” when he bought the prestigious Banchory beat.
But it seems he has raised the ire of some neighbours, particularly with plans for a new art studio and raised decking in his spacious garden…
Art studio could ‘grossly affect privacy’
His neighbour Alistair Thomson, who lives next door at Eastwood, is objecting.
He says the art studio would “grossly affect his privacy and view”.
And Mr Thomson explains that he has already “illustrated his objections to the applicant”.
He is now awaiting a new set of blueprints showing a smaller hut…
Aileen Salway, who lives nearby at 4 Corrichie Place, used the council’s planning website to challenge Mr Wilson’s behaviour.
The bat expert, who has 20 years of experience, said she had no problem with the art studio idea.
But she bemoaned the owner “actively discouraging access along the riverbank”.
Ms Salway said Mr Wilson had put up “fencing, signage and visual props” to suggest public land was actually part of his garden.
She said the strip “should be publicly accessible under the Scottish Outdoor
Access code”.
Blaze-hit farmhouse to rise from the ashes
At the start of 2022, a B-listed 17th century farmhouse near Turriff was reduced to a blackened shell when a huge fire tore through the building.
The farmer there looks after “a significant number of cattle and sheep” and was left seeking somewhere nearby to stay.
Their house was “left with extensive fire damage leaving it structurally unsafe and uninhabitable”.
How long could restoration take?
Because of its historic significance, it can’t be demolished and replaced.
Experts say the restoration job could “take many years due to the extensive damage and the sensitive nature of the listed building”.
As the animals can require care around the clock, the couple who own it say there needs to be a presence there at all times.
Pool hall plans approved at Aberdeen Arches
Finally, plans to bring a new pool hall to Aberdeen – which have been five years in the making – have now been approved.
Shotz Pool, which runs venues in Dundee and Arbroath, lodged proposals for a former motorcycle showroom on South College Street at the end of last year.
The firm has now been given permission to transform the historic railway arch.
And papers sent to the council ahead of the decision being made explain that the scheme represents a long-held ambition for owner Ryan Fleming.
Options for Aberdeen pool hall ‘lean’… until spot opened up
A report provided to the planning department states that bosses have been looking for a suitable site in Aberdeen since May 2017.
It reads: “The applicants registered interest in the vacant space in October 2022.
“They had been searching for a suitable property in the city since May 2017.
“Owing to the specific requirements, the availability of property fitting these parameters has been lean.”
Shotz, formed in 2013, now aims to stage exhibitions and competitions in the Granite City – “potentially boosting overnight accommodation” as fans travel to such events.
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan visited Dundee for a Shotz event last year:
The report sent to the council also explains that Shotz has 1,400 members – and the new Aberdeen locale could create 12 jobs.
You can see this week’s plans for yourself using these links:
Cruden Congregational Church demolition
Powis gateway information board
Plans causing Banchory art studio row
Plans for fire-damaged farmhouse
Aberdeen Arches pool hall approvedÂ
Conversation