Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals across Moray.
Sit back and enjoy this week’s planning news.
Charity Quarriers will give an Elgin town centre building a makeover.
A former garage is getting turned into a cafe between Cullen and Buckie.
Meanwhile, a mystery party has objected to the transformation of an Elgin High Street building.
First we look at the transformation of a former Rothes bakery.
SUBMITTED: New life for former Rothes bakery
It has been certainly been a whirlwind for Peter Ford when it comes to his efforts to breathe new life into a former Rothes bakery.
The building at 9 New Street has most recently been operated as an antique shop, Rothes Emporium.
Prior to that it was Simpsons Bakery.
Last year, planning permission was granted for the new restaurant and takeaway at ground floor level, along with a flat on the first floor.
Meanwhile, a car park will be formed to the rear of the site to serve the restaurant and takeaway.
Now a building warrant has been submitted for the £120k transformation.
Once approved, the makeover can be carried out.
Who is Peter Ford?
Peter used to run the family business Ford’s the Bakers until it was sold in 1999.
In 2007, he founded The Premium Bakery.
He runs the East Lothian-based firm with his son Graeme and daughter-in law Mona Hashem.
They produce fresh baked goods from their Prestonpans factory.
Peter said: “We have had the building for 10 years and saw it as a opportunity to redevelop it.
“That’s the plan—leasing it out. Where we stay, it isn’t practical for us to run it ourselves.”
He will look for interested parties once the transformation is complete.
Plan Plus has been representing him in the process.
APPROVED: From garage to cafe
Work can now start to transform a former garage at Bauds between Cullen and Buckie into a cafe.
Elgin businessman Halil Skepi is behind the makeover.
The new cafe will supplement the car wash and a cottage used as a holiday let.
There will be seating for 16 people.
Now a building warrant has been approved for the £27k worth of work which will also include toilets.
Grant And Geoghegan Limited has been representing him through the process.
APPROVED: Elgin town centre building makeover
Charity Quarriers will soon start their makeover of an Elgin town centre building.
The commercial property is at 42 Moss Street.
Now a building warrant has been approved for the £5k worth of work.
What do Quarriers want to do to the building?
The social care charity owns a number of operational and investment properties across Scotland and England.
They will carry out internal alterations to this B listed building to better meet modern commercial use.
Work includes adapting the layout to ensure the inclusive use of the building.
There will be insulation improvements.
Hopes for the changes
And where feasible, they say things like lighting and heating will be ‘discreetly integrated’ into the space to avoid visual impact on historic features.
Charity bosses believe making the space more functional and flexible will ensure the building continues to be a valuable asset to the local community, while supporting its ongoing commercial viability.
LATEST: Could Elgin High Street shop transformation face barrier?
In 2019, the bookies closed its doors at 144-148 High Street.
Scotland’s largest independent bookmaker Scotbet will be moving into the empty unit.
For months, workers have been seen stripping out the shop.
However, a unknown party is urging the council to knock back proposed alterations to the frontage.
A representative has been “retained by clients who occupy premises in Elgin town centre”.
They claim the proposal will “completely erode the character and appearance” of the area.”
The letter argues the proposals do not keep with the character and appearance of the area.
They wrote: “Proposals should contribute towards a sense of place and draw upon positive characteristics of the surrounding area, supporting local architectural styles.
“This is of particular importance in main thoroughfares such as the High Street, where large numbers of people congregate.
“The proposed alterations completely fail to meet these objectives.”
They say the modern design of proposed shopfront and failure to use complementary traditional materials doesn’t complement nearby buildings.
And argued the character of the frontage should be respected and replicated through traditional designs.
So therefore, they believe permission should be refused as the proposals goes against several planning rules.
Are you going to be submitting interesting plans? Get in touch at sean.mcangus@ajl.co.uk
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