A vision for the future of Aboyne’s abandoned Huntly Arms Hotel reveals it could be brought back to life with an expanded bar – and a new beer garden.
The Deeside institution dates back centuries, but has fallen into disrepair since closing in 2019.
Towards the end of last year, campaigners told us they were beginning to lose hope of it ever being brought back to life.
Just weeks later, the hotel hit the headlines when it emerged it had been used as a cannabis factory – with police seizing dozens of plants.
Owner Jutinder Singh visited the local Huntly Arms Regeneration Project campaigners recently, and by June things were suddenly looking up.
After submitting £30,000 plans to begin work on the ground floor, he confirmed his intentions to reopen the venue as a hotel with a bar and restaurant.
Owner unveils vision for Huntly Arms Hotel beer garden
New papers submitted to Aberdeenshire Council shed more light on his aims for the Huntly Arms Hotel – including creating a new beer garden.
Architects explain that the bar needs to be bigger in order to make the once-bustling venue profitable.
And they detail just why the new outdoor area, to be located in the current car park at the front, is needed.
The documents state: “The external seating area is seen as a necessity for the success of the public bar, to allow patrons to socialise outdoors and enjoy Al Fresco dining and drinking when weather permits.”
They say the area just off Charlestown Road is well placed to benefit from early evening sun from the west.
What’s the current bar like at the Huntly Arms Hotel?
The architects add that the existing bar is “very restricted” for space.
Removing walls will make it more “visually inviting”, and create an “extended seating layout for the patrons”.
Documents add: “The proposals for the new public bar aim to make it a more modern design in an attempt to bring it more in line with current times.
“The final décor and loose furniture will not only reflect today’s modern bars, but will retain a Scottish theme to respect the Huntly Arms’ history.”
Famous stained glass window to be ‘cleaned and restored’
The planning papers also go into the history of the storied Deeside landmark, which was built in 1432.
It’s thought to be “one of, if not the, oldest coaching inn in Scotland that’s still in its original position”.
The application adds: “The hotel has played host to numerous Jacobite leaders and later to Queen Victoria, who often rested at the hotel on her way to Balmoral.”
And one of its most cherished facets, commemorating legendary local athlete Donald Dinnie, will be spruced up as part of the major works.
The “wonderful” stained glass window at the residents bar will be “cleaned and restored”.
But this is only the first step in reviving Huntly Arms Hotel…
The architects acknowledge that the building is in a “dilapidated state”, with “water and
damp ingress to a large scale”.
With the bar poised to expand, Mr Singh is preparing to eventually reopen the premises with fewer bedrooms.
Rear units will be refurbished too to serve as “residential accommodation attached to the hotel”.
Meanwhile, a new rear extension rear would mean the bar has its own kitchen.
This would mean meals don’t need to be taken through the hotel from the main kitchen at the dining room.
There would also be a new bar entrance, and the beer cellar would be extended.
Derelict hotel to become ‘rejuvenated centrepiece’
Mr Singh aims to “bring the building back to life, and run it to its full potential”.
This, he says, will ultimately provide Aboyne “with a rejuvenated centrepiece that has been missing for years”.
You can see the Huntly Arms Hotel beer garden plans here and read more about locals’ long battle to save it here.
