Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals across the north-east.
In the past week the region has gone from snow to storms, with Isha and then Jocelyn battering the region in quick succession.
And it’s amid this increasingly adverse weather that we look at the measures being taken to protect a pair of Aberdeen homes repeatedly hit by flooding.
On a related note, plans have also been lodged to prevent people from taking a tumble on some Stonehaven steps that pose a slippery risk in the rain.
And later on we will explore the challenges of living in the 16th century Tillycairn Castle, near Alford, in the year 2024.
Albyn Terrace office could become fitness studio
But first there are some plans for anyone that might need some encouragement sticking to exercise-based new year resolutions…
Reform Physio and Pilates wants to open a new studio on the lower ground floor of an ornate Aberdeen office building.
The unit at 1-3 Albyn Terrace has been advertised to lease for £17,500 per year.
Papers sent to the council seek permission to change the use, so they can operate health-boosting classes from it.
The applicants would use the space for physio appointments and pilates classes.
Architects say: “There would be minimal noise disruption to other businesses, with only quiet music and machines, and only instructors speaking.”
Reform Physio, run by Laura Patterson, is based in Cults Business Park.
In an interview with The Press and Journal in December, Laura told us how she used pilates to “educate women on their bodies”.
The mum-of-two has been a physiotherapist since 2004, and hinted then at plans to expand the business…
These Albyn Terrace plans come after a yoga instructor launched a similar proposal on the other side of the city.
Lauren Adams wants to turn an old Bridge of Don office into a “haven of calm” as her own studio.Â
New Albyn Place houses approved despite blaze damage
Nearby, at 31-32 Albyn Place, plans for new homes have been approved – months after the site was hit by a fire.
Proposals for the former PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) office just off the busy road had been approved in the summer of 2022.
Last April, developers sent in plans to expand on that with a mews development to the rear of the building.
And just when it appeared that things were progressing, disaster hit the site.
In September, the boarded up office building left empty since 2016 was destroyed by a fire.
Nevertheless, the plans for the four-home mews development in what was the car park have now been rubber-stamped amid uncertainty over the project.
Council decision-makers praised the “quality design” as they sealed the scheme.
Could used car dealership be coming to Macduff?
Ivor Cumming, who previously ran the Crown Motors used car dealership in Turriff alongside his brother Albert, has put in plans for a new showroom in Macduff.
He has earmarked a site within the industrial estate just off Tarlair Way.
The plans for the patch of wasteland indicate there would be a large display area and a building comprising two offices, a waiting area and staff room.
Special gates to prevent Aberdeen properties from flooding
Scottish Water is taking action to save a pair of Aberdeen homes from the threat of rising waters.
Residents at 67 and 69 Hardgate, just down from Justice Mill Lane, have been hit by flooding several times in recent years.
Papers submitted to Aberdeen City Council explain the need for the modern gates.
Scottish Water says: “Hardgate has been subject to internal flooding as a result of flooding in the local area.
“During heavy rainfall events, water surcharges within the highway to the rear of the property.
“This flow breaches the access gate, entering the garden resulting in flooding of the low-lying property.”
The organisation says this has happened on “several occasions” since 2020, and the flood gates will prevent any future risk.
Scottish Water continues: “If the building is penetrated by floodwater, it can easily damage structural elements including the walls, floors and finishing.
“Older buildings are more vulnerable as water can find ways through cracks and gaps around doors.”
The “Stormmeister” gates are said to have an enhanced design offering better protection.
They have also been deployed at historic buildings on Union Street.
Watch the barrier being tested at a Lancashire lab:
The local authority has now agreed that the 1.7m gates will not impact on the conservation area, and rubber-stamped the proposals.
Measures to prevent slip risks on Stonehaven steps
Over in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Council is increasingly concerned for the safety of pedestrians using the stairs at the town’s White Bridge.
The C-listed Carron crossing, just off Cameron Street, has been elevated in recent years – with new steps at each end.
It comes after the bridge was removed and refurbished as part of the town’s £16 million flood defence scheme.
Now, the local authority wants to plaster white “anti-slip tape” across the steps to “improve user safety” as they “can be slippy when wet”.
Documents add: “They will also provide a colour contrast to help improve visibility of the steps for bridge users.”
Plea to keep business base at historic Tillycairn Castle
James Taylor and wife Caroline bought the five-storey Tillycairn Castle more than a decade ago.
The Donside landmark is thought to have been built in 1550, and was put up for sale in 2008 for the princely sum of £820,000.
It was built by Matthew Lumsden, who received the land from his father-in-law, the sixth Lord Forbes, who murdered fellow aristocrat Alexander Seton of Meldrum in a family feud in 1526.
And as well as that interesting past, it came with seven bedrooms, three bathrooms, a grand hall, a laird’s room and its own flagpole.
Mr and Mrs Taylor had been house-hunting in the north-east when they fell in love with the ancient structure near Sauchen.
Upon moving in, they soon discovered “lots of nooks and crannies, lots of cubby-holes and bits and pieces from yesteryear”.
What has happened since then?
But living in Tillycairn Castle comes at a price…
Mr Taylor, who has a fascination with the region’s historic buildings, says he has spent “most of what he earned” maintaining his home as something of a labour of love.
And planning documents submitted to Aberdeenshire Council now explain the changes that have taken place since they bought the stunning site.
Mr Taylor set up an engineering consultancy in 2010, around the same time as he purchased the property.
He ran Indepth Energy, which specialised in renewables and the offshore industry, all by himself – working from clients’ offices.
While working alongside a range of customers, he started his own “hobby business” selling and hiring out machinery and plant equipment.
This made sense, as Mr Taylor needed to buy “larger plant” as he did up Tillycairn Castle.
Downturn changed life for castle owners
When times became tough with the downturn, and the couple were made redundant, he expanded this business in 2015.
He loaned out diggers, cherry pickers and other machinery “as a means to generate income”.
Since then, what started as a sideline has continued to grow.
Documents add: “This growth has continued slowly but steadily.
“It has been a very necessary step as the downturn in oil and gas took a stronghold with the availability of work declining and rates become very poor.”
Why is machinery business needed?
And Mr Taylor explains how badly cash is needed when it comes to looking after the costly castle.
He added: “Tillycairn Castle is a relatively large and costly building to upkeep and as such requires significant investment to both own and maintain.
“I needed to do something in terms of income to facilitate the ownership and upkeep of the castle.
“The plant equipment hire and sales business fitted well as it had grown from being a hobby to something larger.”
Papers also stress that the location of the business, at the Tillycairn Castle grounds in the heart of Aberdeenshire, mean it’s easy to transport items all over the region.
And Mr Taylor is now pleading for permission to keep the business at the historic site.
Enforcement officer arrived to halt work on shed last year
He warns: “Moving from the current location might not allow us to continue, and
certainly would not allow us to serve the more remote areas that we currently do.”
The i-Tool & Plant business has required more and more space over the past six years, and a large steel-framed building was last year erected in a nearby field to house the equipment.
But in May, Aberdeenshire Council sent a planning enforcement officer to inspect the site.
They ordered a stop to any further work on the hangar, which still needs to be clad.
Mr Taylor tells the authority he “regrets” a misunderstanding of the rules involved.
And he is now having to fight for consent to keep it on the grounds of the historic castle.
Storage hut ‘is necessary’
Ultimately, he would like to base the storage unit off-site but he says, at the moment, this would not be viable “due to additional transport costs and also rent/mortgage for another building”.
He continues: “This business has grown as a necessity and the result of the downturn in the oil and gas market.
“There are huge pressures on the local economy as a result of people like myself and my wife being displaced from the oil and gas sector in Aberdeenshire.”
‘I have fears for family’s future at Tillycairn Castle’
Were Mr Taylor to move from the 16th century tower house, he is cautioning that it could fall back into the same state of ruin it lay in from the 1700s until a revamp in the 1980s.
Do you think planners should grant permission for the structure? Let us know in our comments section below
The businessman adds: “As an enthusiast of historic buildings, I have spent most of what I have earned repairing the building and upgrading items.
“Should I be unable to continue with this business in its current form and from this building, I have fears for the viability of our family at Tillycairn Castle.”
He concludes: “This is an enabler to allow us to continue there and also to continue the sympathetic repairs, upkeep and preservation of the castle.
“This building was largely neglected for 30 years prior to us purchasing it.”
And you can see this week’s plans for yourself here:
Hardgate flood defences: here and here
Tillycairn Castle plans
Conversation