Glenkindie House could be done up as its mega-rich US owners want to improve their swanky dinner parties, while a new gym could soon open in Cults.
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 with plans to breathe new life into an Aberdeenshire bank building…
Alford bank building to become part of family’s home
An Alford family has been given the go-ahead for something of a bank transformation…
The former Clydesdale in the heart of the town closed about a decade ago. After that, it became an office… Which later shut too.
In 2023, plans to turn it into a restaurant were formed but failed to make it off the ground.
Now, fresh proposals have been formed to finally bring 49 Main Street back into use.
Peter Young, who lives in The Old Bankhouse at number 47, has been granted permission to turn it into an extension.
It comes after the former bank building was put up for sale for £130,000 this year.
Wartime radar station could make way for seaside home
A slice of military history could be converted into a new coastal home in the Mearns.
The Ministry of Defence set up a radio “listening station” at Whistleberry, beside Kinneff decades ago.
These are stations used for reconnaissance by “intercepting” radio transmitter communications, and they were in extensive use during World War Two.
After it was decommissioned, most of the equipment was removed apart from the security fencing enclosing the building.
Applicant George Ritchie, from Newtonhill, first formed plans to turn it into a house in 2019, but his vision is yet to get off the ground.
He is now asking Aberdeenshire Council to renew the permission granted years ago.
Meanwhile, a short distance away in Kinneff, planning officials are poring over a retrospective application for a new swimming pool in the grounds of a historic manse.
Portlethen pharmacy plans revealed
A few miles north along the coast, a new pharmacy could soon be opening up between Portlethen and Aberdeen.
Porter Pharmacies is looking to add to its large range of chemists in the north-east at City South Office Park just off the A92.
The healthcare firm has submitted plans to convert two of the empty units into a one-stop-shop for prescriptions and appointments.
Drawings show one of the empty spaces being turned into a storage room for medication, whilst the adjoining unit would have space for four consulting rooms.
The pharmaceutical company already has a large presence in the city and shire, operating five pharmacies in Aberdeen and two in Westhill.
These new units were built in 2023, with permission previously granted for an MMA gym to move in last year.
However, those plans seem to have fallen through, and Porter Pharmacies has snapped up the opportunity to move into the bustling business park.
Sandhaven houses designed for older folk
Just outside Fraserburgh, at Sandhaven, disused farm buildings could be knocked down to make way for three “homes for life”.
Wondering what a “home for life” is?
Papers sent to Aberdeenshire Council explain that these are properties which are custom-built to be accessible house for people as they grow older.
Each of the three identical homes would have level entry points, disabled access to all doors and a staircase which is suited to having a stairlift attached.
Kitchen surfaces would be at a lower height for disabled people, and rails are fitted to all doors.
All in all, they have been engineered to “provide easy living for people in the older age range”.
Another bedroom could be a guest room for people who require a carer while the en-suite room is a wet room.
The document concludes: “The dwellings have also been orientated to provide sea views which will provide a pleasant living environment for people who may not be able to get out as much as they grow older.”
Windows need replaced at Aberdeen city centre hotel
The Brentwood Hotel building on Aberdeen’s Crown Street is more than 200 years old, having started life as eight separate townhouses.
It was taken over by Indian firm Oyo in the summer of 2019, as the chain expanded rapidly across the country.
And the company bought over the neighbouring Highland Hotel shortly after that too.
The Brentwood Hotel hit the headlines in 2022 amid claims that asylum seekers were facing lengthy stays there as the Home Office struggled to process applications.
Now, London-based bosses have secured permission to replace 20 second-floor windows facing onto Crown Street.
The windows were said to be in a “poor state of repair”, and not original models.
Experts said they were “showing signs of decay” and would have been too expensive to repair.
Could new Cults gym help with healthy habits?
We are mere hours away from the bells ringing in 2025 and bringing with them the usual slew of New Year’s Resolutions.
And people in Cults might soon have a helping hand making sure they stick to any exercise pledges for the year ahead…
Rory Annand, of Revive Fitness Gym, wants to turn a unit at Cults Business Park into a mecca for fitness fans.
His plans are for unit four at the site, which is currently being marketed.
The applicant runs Rory Annand Fitness as a personal trainer.
New toilets could be built at Banchory’s Stag Hotel
The owners of Banchory’s Stag Hotel have lodged plans to build a small extension to add more toilets.
They will spend £7,5oo on the additions to the Deeside building.
Glenkindie House plans formed by wealthy American owners
We conclude our last round-up of 2024 with a trip to one of Donside’s most stunning homes.
Glenkindie House is located in the lush countryside between Alford and Strathdon.
A castle of the same name was built near the spot in the 16th century, but was demolished after being plundered in 1644.
However, several stones in the grand home there come from the castle and are marked with the date of 1595.
The house, which is A-listed by heritage watchdogs, has changed slightly over the years, with wings added in the 1700s.
Rather uniquely, it boasts “unusual yew topiary depicting teddy bears, chess pieces and characters from Alice in Wonderland”.
It was owned by the Leith family for most of the 20th century, but was most recently purchased by American socialites Chris and Camille Bently – who own Kildrummy Estate.
They now want to carry out some work to enhance the enchanting experience when they have guests to stay…
What are the new plans?
Mr and Mrs Bently, environmentalists from New York with a passion for rewilding, want to spruce up parts of Glenkindie House.
They have now lodged plans with Aberdeenshire Council to convert the existing catering kitchen there into a “family kitchen”.
Meanwhile, a new catering kitchen would be created in the store room to serve up food for functions.
Planning documents state: “The changes will upgrade the catering facilities
at Glenkindie House, which are currently outdated.”
‘The owners like to host guests’
Architects go on to explain more about why the changes are needed.
They state: “The owners of the house like to host guests and visitors so that they
can share the history of Glenkindie House.
“As such, adequate catering facilities are required to serve the larger groups of people that attend the house on occasions such as parties, functions and tours.
“A new catering kitchen space is required that contains suitable equipment.”
They explain that using the store room for this would be “ideal” as it is near the dumb waiter and the dining room.
What do you think of the Glenkindie plans? Let us know in our comments section below
What else is happening at Glenkindie House?
Meanwhile, the couple have already been given permission for changes to an en-suite bathroom.
The consent was only granted retrospectively, with the work already carried out at the first floor guestroom.
Designers said the bathroom needed improved as the existing facilities were “cramped and housed under a low coombed ceiling”, failing to “meet the expectations of guests today”.
See the plans here:
Crown Street hotel replacing windows
Glenkindie House plans
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