Empty offices above the former Monkey House pub in Aberdeen could be turned into 10 flats in a fresh bid to get more people living in the city centre.
The A-listed building owned by local businessman Mike Watson occupies a prominent spot on the corner of Union Street and Union Terrace.
Following a failed bid to convert former offices on the upper levels in 2021, Mr Wilson has now put forward new scaled down proposals.
His architects say the central location of the 200-year-old landmark puts it “in the middle of a focussed effort to revitalise the city centre of Aberdeen”.
One possible selling point would be the vantage point overlooking the reimagined Union Terrace Gardens.
Monkey House flats plans lodged as offices have had ‘limited maintenance’
The building is best known to many as the Monkey House, though the ground floor restaurant has been operated by Thai chain Chaophraya for years now.
It was the base of Northern Insurance for almost 100 years, until being acquired by Commercial Union in 1968.
The modern extension to the roof was added in 2012, amid clamour for more office space.
But that demand has dried up over the last decade, with the downturn and the pandemic both hammering the commercial property market.
With newer office space available in the centre, the upper floors have “remained vacant for some time”, and “prove to be no longer fit for purpose”.
Tinto architects add: “During this time, the property has not been heated and subject to limited maintenance, resulting in it starting to show some signs of deterioration.”
Could new apartments help city centre bounce back?
A key part of the council’s masterplan to rejuvenate the struggling city centre is getting more people to live there.
Union Terrace could become a hive of residential activity in the future, with student accommodation plans in place for the former TSB building and permission granted for Denburn House to become flats.
The Monkey House flats being proposed would be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom properties.
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‘Demand is there’
Tinto adds: “It is clear that there is a fantastic opportunity to deliver a high quality series of proposals that will help meet the demands of 21st century Aberdeen.
“Through considerable investigation and research, demand for residential properties within the city centre has been identified.
“This position, both aesthetically and geographically within the city, make it a prime opportunity for a considered residential development on the upper floors.”
You can see the plans here.
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New Aberdeen city centre flats approved despite nightclub noise fears
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