Aberdeen’s Richmondhill House, a charity base for parents and children for generations, could be turned into one of the city’s finest homes while a unique food could soon be concocted at a former funeral parlour in Banchory.
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 our first round-up of 2025 with a look at a rather prestigious property…
Stunning home with rich past in Aboyne
Ladywood Lodge was built in Aboyne about 120 years ago, with the half-timbered house standing out from others in the area with its distinctive look.
The C-listed Edwardian building sold for a whopping £900,000 in 2014.
And it comes with an impressive pedigree.
The Rhu-Na-Haven road property was built as the Dower house for Lady Jane Cunliffe Brooks, whose husband owned the nearby Glen Tanar Estate.
She had been married to Sir William Cunliffe Brooks, an English barrister, banker and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1869 to 1892.
Now, applicant Mrs C Hendry has formed plans to do the five-bedroom house up.
She is planning a string of internal alterations, with new doors to en-suite bathrooms and plans on installing a new ground floor radiator to keep the old place toasty.
Council chiefs need to sign off on any changes due to the home’s history.
Banchory funeral parlour in for new lease of life
In Banchory, plans to bring a closed funeral parlour back to life have now been approved.
The Macintosh and Steven building at 2 High Street went up for auction after being closed down – with an asking price of £190,000.
And now a businessman is eyeing it up for an undertaking of a very different nature.
Jonathan Hope wants to turn the Deeside building into a commercial kitchen to make a Japanese delicacy.
He will produce craft miso and shoyu from the spot, pretty much as a one-man operation.
What exactly is Miso?
Well, the planning papers allude to a process where the exotic staple is stored in oak barrels for “several months” to mature.
It’s a type of seasoning, but not like the powder we may usually shake from jars.
This is a thick paste formed by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus aspergillus oryzae (or kōji).
It’s known for being really healthy, despite being so salty, and is slowly building popularity in the UK.
And shoyu is a type of soy sauce made from fermented soybeans, wheat, salt and water.
What’s next for prominent Stonehaven Harbour building?
Stonehaven’s picturesque port is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Aberdeenshire.
And anyone familiar with the harbour will be aware of its towering old granary building, looming over the bay in many a photograph.
When it hit the market in 2017, it sold for £815,000.
What is the history of The Granary?
After falling out of use as an actual granary, the Shorehead landmark became a shop for a spell in the 1970s.
Later that decade, owner Professor John Fothergill (who was a biochemist at Marishcal College), turned it into a stunning family home.
He retained many of the historic features – while installing a staircase and balustrades originally from Marischal College itself when they faced being thrown out!
In 2018, the new owner, Raymond Hunt, took it on and began doing it up.
And what are the new plans?
The latest application lodged with Aberdeenshire Council seeks permission for some more alterations to the historic four-storey abode.
Mr Hunt is aiming to carry out some alterations on what was once a ground floor workshop.
He wants to turn it into a granny flat, which would come with its own en-suite bathroom, lounge and dining and kitchen areas.
New dentist could be coming to Mastrick
Further information has now emerged about the Greenfern Place plans, more than six years after the Clydesdale branch shut.
Blueprints submitted by dentist Athanasios Mytoglou show that it would be named Mastrick Dental Care.
And it appears that it will be run as an NHS practice.
Costa Coffee plans on Aberdeen’s George Street
Sainsbury’s bosses want to spend about £5,000 installing a new Costa coffee machine at their premises on Aberdeen’s George Street.
Costa has an agreement with the chain which means it has cafes in supermarkets where there is space available.
At the smaller George Street store, it seems a machine will do instead.
Bridge of Don office could become charity’s new base
Elsewhere in the city, a charity wants to transform an office to help people develop their skills.
North East Community Workshop has formed plans for Balmanno House in Bridge of Don.
The group gives people with disabilities the chance to learn some work-related talents in a “safe and stimulating” environment.
Papers sent to the council explain: “Individuals attending the workshop gain a sense of achievement which in turn boosts self-esteem and confidence.”
The office was previously the premises of Agility NDE, which is now based at Silverfield House in Bridge of Don.
Peterhead nail salon to open in beautician’s garden
Over in Peterhead, beauty therapist Nikki Davidson wants to start operating from a timber cabin in the back garden of her Richmondhill Road home.
This means she would need to change the use of that part of her garden, officially designating it a business, with the 5x3m hut in operation.
Historians ‘very supportive’ of Peterhead revamp plans
Last week, The Press and Journal documented the local opposition to £20m plans to give Peterhead a cultural glow-up.
And while councillors wrestle with naysayers on social media, they might be heartened to hear that the project is popular in some other quarters.
Historic Environment Scotland has offered its verdict on the plans for Arbuthnot House and neighbouring 60 Broad Street.
The national heritage watchdogs say they are “very supportive” as it will “secure the future” of the two B-listed buildings.
They add that both are currently on the Buildings at Risk Register, meaning these proposals will pluck them from the jaws of decay.
Richmondhill House could be set for new chapter after long history
Aberdeen’s Richmondhill House dates back to the mid-19th century, at a time when the Midstocket area was not what it was today.
Back then, it was “set in substantial grounds”, with a sweeping drive leading to the house.
In 1947, the VSA charity turned it into a safe haven for unmarried mothers from all over the UK.
In its first decade, it cared for 505 women and welcomed 476 babies into the world.
The charity used the base for the next 70 years, latterly running it as a centre for at-risk children.
It offered bedsit accommodation for nine parents and 18 children.
Richmondhill House hit the market as Aberdeen hosuing ‘opportunity’
This summer, it hit the market as a “development opportunity” in the city’s leafy west end.
The asking price was given as £550,000 though it was noted that VSA was still using the building.
What is happening now?
Now, applicant Imran Goheer wants to turn it into a huge house.
Mr Goheer is listed as the director of Goheer Trading Group.
Blueprints show how the property would be transformed – with a home cinema and games room in the basement.
There would be a dining room and kitchen on the ground floor, while a creche would be turned into a lounge.
Nine bedrooms would be spread across the first and second levels, while there would be a games room along with a treatment room, massage room and gym in the outbuilding.
What do you think of this week’s plans? Let us know in our comments section below
Plans sealed for home of legendary Aberdeen lawyer
Finally, we can reveal that plans to do up the former home of legendary Aberdeen lawyer Frank LeFevre have been rubber-stamped.
Last summer, we reported on the proposals submitted by the new owner of 11 Rubislaw Den North, known as Braco Lodge.
Mr Lefevre was a beloved local figure, his fame extending far beyond his home on Aberdeen’s swanky Millionaire’s Row.
He lived there from the 1980s until his death aged 88 last April.
After his passing, Braco Lodge went on the market for £1.3m last year.
New owner Steve Miller wanted to add a new garage, a single-storey garden room, and carry out “various internal works” at the C-listed building.
Papers previously submitted to the council state these works “had to commence due to the building being classed as unsafe”, after “significant water ingress”.
The council’s heritage watchdogs have now given the changes their blessing, saying they do not impact the value of the historic property.
A separate application for a garden room to the rear of the property has also been approved.
You can see the plans here:
The Granary at Stonehaven Harbour
Richmondhill House Aberdeen proposal
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