Work is poised to begin on a major project to breathe new life into six historic buildings at Portsoy Harbour.
The North East Scotland Preservation Trust (NESPT) has been working away on ways to breathe new life into the centuries-old portside structures for years.
They were bequeathed to the historians by beloved local businessman Tom Burnett-Stuart upon his death in 2020.
Their project has now reached a milestone, as the six buildings have officially passed into their ownership.
What does this mean for Portsoy harbour buildings revamp?
Now that the NESPT owns the six sites, work can properly begin on what is expected to be a multi-million-pound redevelopment.
Some have been empty for decades, and these mammoth efforts will prevent the risk of them falling into disrepair.
The Marble Warehouse, the Marble Workshop, the Granary Building and the Rag Warehouse will all be brought back to life.
Ideas for their future include holiday homes, a restaurant and even a Peaky Blinders-based attraction.
Marcus Humphrey, chairman of the NESPT, said: ‘Tom Burnett-Stuart’s generous legacy is now in our care, to safeguard these buildings for future generations and create a new vision for the harbour.
“Although we are at the early stages of our plans, we are making great progress as we develop a masterplan.”
What would you like to see happen to the old buildings? Let us know in our comments section below
Portsoy project ‘shows potential of historic buildings’
The plans also include developing a “Marbles Creative Hub”, offering workshop and studio spaces for artists and people working within the creative industries.
Thousands in cash for the Portsoy scheme came from the Architecture Heritage Fund.
Its chief executive, Matthew Mckeague, said: ‘Projects such as this demonstrate the regeneration potential for reusing historic buildings.”
Read more about the plans here, with our deep dive into the historians’ ideas for the harbour buildings:
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