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Balmoral Group plots cutting-edge £1m wave centre at Aberdeen base

Meanwhile, a former children's home in Kincorth could be turned into a large house.

The Balmoral Group is plotting a wave centre.
The Balmoral Group is plotting a wave centre. Image: Chris Donnan/Google Maps

The Balmoral Group is planning a £1m wave centre in Aberdeen, crumbling Deeside kennels will be turned into holiday homes and an Inverurie ice cream shop wants to sell hot food too.

All these and more feature in this week’s Planning Ahead, our weekly round-up of the latest proposals being pondered across the north-east.

Every week we bring readers a selection of the most interesting applications submitted to our councils to form changes big and small in our communities.

We start off with an Aberdeen trader’s desire to make his store stand out…

Trader wants to upgrade Union Street mobile store

The owners of a city centre mobile store want to jazz up their frontage and bring some colour to the Granite Mile.

Ultra Mobile opened on Union Street in 2021, and offers phone and computer gadgets, as well as repairs.

The shop is located on 185 Union Street, next to The Edinburgh Woollen Mill. Image: Ultra Mobile Solutions.

Its Romanian directors have now lodged plans to make the store more eye-catching with a new illuminated sign.

Papers say this will help their orange brand name stand out on the black background as the days get darker during the winter months.

Image: Ultra Mobile Solutions.

Rogue sign ‘spoiling historic Union Street’ to be replaced

Just along the high street, another mobile shop will shine in a new light.

The owner of Mobiles, Gadgets and Vapes has been given permission to replace his “out of place” signage with a fancier one that fits the historic look of the Granite Mile.

Council officials asked Aashir Butt to take down the unauthorised sign from his store in July, claiming it spoils the facade of the C-listed building on 127 Union Street.

The rogue Union Street vape shop sign. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

They also had issues with its “poor quality” and the number of words on it.

The shop opened back in February, taking over the vacant unit that was previously occupied by EE.

Mr Butt has now come up with a new slick design, with illuminated branding written out in more elegant font managing to impress officials.

 

How the new vape shop sign will look. Image: Mobiles, Gadgets and Vapes.

Work planned at bank in Aberdeen’s west end

If you happen to see some work taking place on the ATMs at the Albyn Place Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) soon, don’t worry…

They’re not being taken out amid yet another bank closure, and it probably won’t be a heist either.

Instead RBS chiefs are replacing machines at the listed west end building.

The Royal Bank of Scotland branch on Albyn Place
Blueprints demonstrate how the building will be changed. Image: RBS.

If anything, the planned investment could be an encouraging sign that the Albyn Place branch isn’t next for the chop.

In a few weeks, the Union Street RBS will serve its final customers.

Westhill farm to become homes with views of Bennachie

On the outskirts of Westhill, applicant Annie Kenyon Developments wants to transform an old farm building into two houses, with their own courtyard.

The Drumstone steading, at Skene, is currently redundant.

And as with many other abandoned farms in the area, some of the remaining buildings have fallen into disrepair after its last owners left.

How the steading looks now. Image: Annie Kenyon Developments.

Architects say there have been years of remedial work over the years – all of which have attributed to the site’s current “poor condition”.

However, taking over a site with such spectacular views over the open field countryside and Bennachie was too good of an opportunity to miss out on.

Developers now want to take advantage of that, and equip the two homes with large overlooking windows.

And this map shows how the derelict site will be redeveloped. Image: Annie Kenyon Developments.

There will also be plenty of green garden spaces and two garages, while one of the buildings will be converted into a gym or a workshop.

One of the houses will have four bedrooms, and the other two.

Farmers want to cash in on Stonehaven tourism to keep afloat

Stonehaven is known for its picturesque castle, breathtaking harbour views and, of course, its tasty fish and chips and ice cream.

The coastal town is a popular destination for day-trippers, and rightly so.

And now local farmers Chris and Jacqueline Allardyce want to build on that and entice more tourists to the Aberdeenshire spot.

Dunnottar Castle is one of the attractions that brings visitors to Stonehaven. Image: Shutterstock.

The pair want to build three holiday lodges at their farm near Catterline, which has been in the family for decades.

This will help them keep their business afloat after several tough years of Covid restrictions and rise in costs, while also giving local tourism a boost.

Papers say it will “allow them to diversify and enable additional income streams to support their existing business”.

Each pod will have an outdoor hot tub, a sauna and a BBQ area, as well as framed views of the coastline at sunrise and sunset.

An idea of how the lodges could look. Image: Annie Kenyon Architects.

There will be something for every member of the family, with a children’s play area and a wild garden also in the pipeline.

And with each of them boasting a different size, they will be equally perfect for a couple’s romantic weekend away or a big group of friends.

New chapter for troubled Ship Inn

The saga of Banff’s Ship Inn stretches back years, when some residents put up a fight to stop the historic pub featured in Local Hero from development.

Since then, a lot has changed.

And never mind Local Hero, the building has been through more twists and turns than your average Hollywood thriller.

The Ship Inn was put up for sale  in 2022. Image: Roddie Reid/DC Thomson.

Eventually, all seemed settled when the owner of the Knowes Hotel took it on and formed proposals to turn it into eight Airbnb-style suites.

New owner Wayne Stewart’s plans were approved in March.

But now he has gone back to the drawing board, just a bit, by changing the design.

Mr Stewart wants to turn the venue into a house with three holiday lets – one of which would be formed in the old bar itself.

A few of the rooms in the inn have seen better days. Image: Supplied

Plans for new care home in Banff

Elsewhere in Banff, a big five-bedroom house on Duncan Street could be turned into a care home.

Carriag Care, which is based in the town and run by Aaron Lorimer, is behind the proposal.

It comes after the building was put on the market for £305,000.

The house has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Image: McEwan Fraser.

Children’s home to become six-bedroom house

Meanwhile, in Aberdeen, plans have been formed to convert a former children’s home on Faulds Gate in Kincorth into a seven-bedroom house.

Aberdeen City Council is behind the proposal.

Kincorth Children’s Home opened in the 1950s, as a new “family style” setting being pioneered at the time.

The facility was home to about a dozen children while open. Image: Google Maps.

It was designed to “recreate the feeling of family life”, while allowing siblings to be kept together.

The facility shut in 2016.

A 1997 Evening Express report sheds some light on the home’s history.

The newspaper revealed that angry neigbours set up a petition to have Kincorth Children’s Home closed down, claiming their lives had been made a misery by rowdy youngsters.

There was extensive coverage in the Evening Express, highlighting the issues elderly neighbours faced. Image: British Newspaper Archive.

But face-to-face sessions were arranged with the residents and social workers.

And, in a heatwarming turn of events, within 15 months a truce had been struck – with some residents even visiting their new young pals at the home.

Is Inverurie ice cream boss preparing for winter?

Next up, a big scoop for ice cream fans…

Over in Inverurie, the new Tutto Gelatto opened at a spot in the former Mitchell’s Dairy shop, next to Brewdog, last June.

And while they have been serving up refreshing treats since then, it seems like bosses want to branch out a bit – perhaps anticipating the appetite for ice cream drying up a tad in the cold winter months ahead.

The unit had lain empty for about five years before new bosses took it over. Image: Google Maps.

So, boss Mohamad Dured Alhalabe is now plotting the sale of hot food too.

Planning permission is required for the changes to the town centre building needed to install all the correct ventilation.

Just a few weeks ago, we featured very similar proposals from Shakes n Cakes on Aberdeen’s Great Northern Road.

Millionaire to transform Deeside kennels favoured by Queen Victoria

Moving away from the Granite City and into Royal Deeside, a millionaire businessman has made more progress with plans to transform Abergeldie Estate into a tourism mecca.

Alastair Storey’s journey with the secluded Cairngorms spot has had numerous ups and downs in the last few years.

There are 34 buildings across the estate. Image: Fraser and Mulligan

After he bought the land for £23 million, Mr Storey was thrown into a months-long wrangle as he battled to get permission for a mansion to live in at Bovaglie.

This was eventually approved in April, despite concerns about Queen Camilla’s favourite view being compromised.

He then lodged plans to turn some of crumbling Kennels Cottages dotting the rugged landscape into holiday lets.

But in an unexpected turn of events, he was sent back to the drawing board after heritage experts demanded to know more about how the buildings will be preserved.

This will now be turned into a modern short-term let. Image: WCP Architects.

They said the house at Balnacroft is of great importance to the area as it was once home to the “kennel master” of the estate, which the royals leased in the 19th-20th century.

So what’s happening with the plans now?

Having provided these additional details, Mr Storey has now been given permission to proceed with his restoration plans for the kennels.

The cottage has been decaying for years. Image: WPC Architects

Documents say the buildings have been neglected for the last 18 years, and are in “deteriorating and poor condition”.

The revamp will enhance the “redundant” kennels and bring them back into use, while also preserving their historical features.

Plans for £1m wave centre INSIDE Balmoral Group’s Aberdeen base

Over to Aberdeen again, offshore energy experts Balmoral Group are planning to invest more than £1 million into a new cutting-edge wave centre at their Granite City base on Wellington Circle.

For those struggling to grasp what exactly a “wave centre” is, imagine the sea with its sandy bottom, tides, currents and choppy waves – all homed within a building.

Here is an idea of how the centre could look like:

The unusual developments are used to test all sorts of renewable offshore products.

However, they tend to be hard to build and pretty expensive so at the moment there are very few facilities of this kind in the UK – and none in Scotland.

Balmoral Group bosses say this will put Aberdeen on the map, boosting its reputation as a city of innovative thinking and progress in renewable resources.

Sir Jim Milne, chairman and managing director of Balmoral Group.
Sir Jim Milne, chairman and managing director of Balmoral Group. Image: Michal Wachucik/ Abermedia.

What do you think of the wave centre idea? Let us know in our comments section below


This is, of course, a particularly important point for the Granite City since the oil and gas downturn hammered the energy sector, leaving thousands of people out of job.

The company will soon start the first phase of the project, which will cost £575,000.

Revamp plans for Ferryhill Primary School progress

Finally, it has been a busy period for Aberdeen education chiefs – with debate about a new super-school in Northfield dominating the headlines.

But across the city, in Ferryhill, some other big plans are taking shape.

Ferryhill School is in line for a multi-million-pound revamp. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson
Ferryhill School is in line for a multi-million-pound revamp. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson.

Children from the school will be sent to the former Walker Road primary in Torry while major work takes place on their own crumbling Victorian building next year. 

And now, the council has put in plans for one key part of its Ferryhill project.

Education bosses have unveiled their plans for a new nursery at the building, with its own games area attached.

It would be built to the west of the site, just off Albury Road.

Read the plans here:

Union Street sign

Another Union Street sign approved

Albyn Place ATMs

Skene steading conversion

Stonehaven holiday lodges

Ship Inn latest

Banff care home

Kincorth children’s home conversion

Inverurie ice cream

Balnacroft kennels

Balmoral Group’s wave centre

Nursery at Ferryhill Primary School

Conversation