Plans to transform the historic Kingswells House into offices have been brought back to life – as councillors insist the “positives outweigh any issues”.
The owner of AS Mosley, Andrew Mosley, lodged plans to make the 17th Century mansion on Skene Road their offshore engineering firm’s HQ last year.
It was last occupied by The Summerland Trust, who used the B-listed building as a spiritual centre to contact those on “the other side”.
But, council planners refused the application in the summer.
They said the proposed modern extension didn’t fit with the heritage vibe of the house, while the local authority’s roads team raised issues with roads safety.
Recommending it for refusal, they added its access was “far below modern standards” and wouldn’t give motorists enough visibility to see when leaving or entering the site.
What prompted the U-turn?
But in a sharp U-turn, councillors didn’t quite agree with their planning colleagues.
The application went before the local review body this morning following an appeal by the developers.
Despite the issues outlined by officers, members had no problem with the new addition to the house and welcomed the fact the vacant building would be brought back in use.
However, they did ask for a handful of changes to be made before AS Mosley moves in.
What changes did councillors demand at Kingswells House?
Councillor Lynn Thomson raised fears about access to the site and asked if lighting could be added to make it safer for users.
While her colleague Neil Copland said he would be happy to see the development move ahead – but only with the added condition of “left in, left out”.
In other – more comprehensible words – the central reservation gap on the A944 will be closed so traffic can only access and exit the site one way.
This would prevent motorists from crossing the busy dual carriageway too.
Finally, councillor Marie Boulton wanted assurance that granite from the extension which will soon be knocked down would be reused to rebuild the new retaining wall.
Officers were also asked to speak to the applicant about creating a footpath from the busy road to Kingswells House to save people from walking on the roadside.
With these added conditions, councillors agreed to overturn the refusal and grant Mr Mosley’s application.
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