Rural residents who won the right to buy a centuries-old north-east drovers’ inn are preparing for a new planning battle to prevent the historic licensed house becoming a private home.
The Midmar Inn closed its doors in September 2007 after more than a century as a roadside hostelry.
Owners David Cooper and partner Debi Begg said the business was no longer viable, and asked Aberdeenshire Council planners for permission to convert the premises to a private dwelling.
Councillors decided in November to veto the move.
The owners have now lodged a planning appeal, asking that the council decision be overturned, and a Scottish Government reporter is expected to consider the case within weeks.
Members of the local authority’s Garioch area committee rejected plans to convert the Midmar Inn – ruling they were contrary to council policy to retain businesses in the countryside – by one vote.
The reporter will reach a decision after receiving written submissions on the issue.
Yesterday, the Friends of Midmar Community Company, formed by residents to preserve their pub, confirmed it had taken legal advice and was contesting the appeal.
The group has first option to buy the inn, under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, if it comes on the market.
“The inn was the hub of social life in the community and we want to retain a local business, an amenity and rural employment,” said Friends’ spokeswoman and retired senior lecturer in business management Margot Kennedy, of Upper Balblair.
“It has been boarded up since before last year’s decision. What was a lovely old attraction to the area, and part of our history, is now an eyesore.”
The inn owners were unavailable for comment yesterday. The couple have vowed to not to sell and to keep the scenic building as their home.