Pizza Hut could open up inside an Elgin High Street building which has been empty for two years.
The former beauty salon at 228 High Street previously had no legal custodian.
The ground floor unit had been the long-term home of Ultimate Hair and Beauty in the west end of the town centre since 2007.
However, the premises became empty when the firm moved to 25 High Street in 2022.
In June, auctioneers Shepherd Commercial Property sold the property on behalf of the King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer, which handles “ownerless” items in Scotland on behalf of the Crown.
Buildings, land and goods can become ownerless when companies are wound up or when people die with no heirs or will.
The building sold for £85,000, which was its guide price.
What are the plans for the unit now?
Now Kirkcaldy-based Glenshire Group wants to transform the empty unit into a hot food takeaway.
The company already runs a number of Pizza Hut franchises across Scotland including one in Kirkcaldy which just opened up a few months ago.
Drawings show there will be a kitchen, preparation and wash up area and ordering and waiting area for customers which will include six seats.
Proposed opening hours are on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 11pm.
Planning documents reveal the Pizza Hut will primarily be a delivery service with the number of customers on average expected to visit being around 25 per day.
Meanwhile, five staff members will be on site anyone time including drivers who will be there for a minimum amount of time.
To minimise odour discharge, carbon filtration can be fitted to ventilation units.
Wittets Architects is representing the firm in the proposals.
Health of Elgin town centre
The Press and Journal’s high street tracker previously shared the total number of vacant units on the town’s main shopping streets is only 24.
The average vacancy rate is just 11.4% – below the national average for the UK’s high streets of 14%.
We also have reported on the array of work behind the scenes to give new purpose to the empty units.
How many Pizza Huts are nearby?
The nearest Pizza Huts to Elgin are in Inverness.
There is a restaurant at the Inverness Retail and Business Park and a takeaway and delivery business on Strothers Lane.
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