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Approved: New takeaway beside Balmoral Castle with visits to royal retreat set to soar

The proposal for the kiosk comes as a slew of upgrades are pencilled in at the Deeside estate.

The Balmoral take-away kiosk would open at a visitor cafe yards form the A-listed castle.
The Balmoral take-away kiosk would open at a visitor cafe yards form the A-listed castle. Image: Dovecot architects

Visitors to the Royal Family’s Aberdeenshire home will soon be able to grab a quick snack with plans for a takeaway kiosk next to Balmoral Castle.

The 50,000 acre expanse has been part of royal life since Queen Victoria bought it in the mid-19th century.

It was thrown into the global spotlight last September when the Queen died at the Scottish retreat she adored all her life.

And, with the recent coronation of King Charles, many tourists will be eager to glimpse his beloved Aberdeenshire getaway.

The site reopened to visitors on April 1, and Balmoral Estates says its popularity is expected to rocket.

The takeaway kiosk will open in the Piper’s Hall building next to Balmoral Castle. Image: Dovecot architects

Where would Balmoral take-away be?

The improvements centre around the Queen’s Building – which is nestled at the heart of the grounds, between the famous castle and the estate office and stables.

It was built in the late 1980s as staff accommodation and break rooms, with an adjoining canteen.

Known as Piper’s Hall, the canteen doubles as a cafe for visitors and function venue when the estate is open to visitors.

The Piper’s Hall, in the centre of this image, opened in 1991. Image: Dovecot architects

Chief among the proposals are plans to extend the cafe, with a takeaway kiosk serving up treats.

This should help to free up space for more diners in the building itself.

And to accommodate the expected influx of tourists, Balmoral bosses want to form a new covered seating area for 60 diners outside as well.

There would also be a new garden arbor and kitchen stores to stock the extra food being ordered in for hungry guests.

This is how the building looks just now. Image: Dovecot architects

Alongside all this, the roof would be re-tiled and solar panels installed.

In a further eco-friendly touch, all of the new timber structures would be formed using Scottish larch trees toppled during recent storms.

A clocktower would be added too.

The extra 60 seats would be created alongside the Balmoral takeaway. Image: Dovecot architects

Balmoral take-away ‘integral’ to tourism success

The estate’s visitor enterprise manager said the takeaway would be “integral” to broadening the “visitor offering”.

In the planning documents, they said: “This will allow the catering operation to seat more people undercover, which is essential to add value to the customer experience.

“This also allows us to make better use of the internal space for a multitude of functions and still cope with the mass tourism market.”

This artist’s impression shows people queuing up outside the takeaway, while others gather in the extra seating outside. Image: Dovecot architects

The plans, submitted in April, have now been sealed by the local authority.

Plans come as King Charles eyes up Balmoral maze

It comes as King Charles plans to create a “huge thistle maze” there in tribute to his upbringing at Sandringham.

The plans have been formed ahead of the added attraction opening to the public next year.


Are you planning a visit to Balmoral this summer? Let us know in our comments section below


You can see the papers for the visitor facilities here and read more about the Queen’s connection with Balmoral here:

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