A historic Aberdeen building is poised to be converted into a hotel under fresh plans which have been submitted with the city council.
The proposals would mean part of the former Esslemont and Macintosh (E&M) department store building on Union Street would re-open as a 98-bedroom hotel.
Developers have also applied for listed building consent to allow them to carry out work on the granite structure.
The E&M department store was a feature of the city centre for 134 years before it closed in 2007.
The proposals have been revived after a previous application from C&L Properties was granted planning permission in 2008.
This latest application is for a five-storey hotel with a restaurant unit on the ground floor.
In addition, the existing concrete extension to Broad Street would be removed and replaced with a four-storey, glass extension.
A new three-storey link would also be built in place of the current link bridge between the east and west building.
Speaking last night, George Street and Harbour councillor Nathan Morrison welcomed the fact there is renewed potential for redevelopment of the site.
He said: “I’m always pleased to see movement on abandoned and derelict sites. I think it’s important to help the regeneration of Union Street and the potential jobs it would create in doing up the site would be very welcome.
“I hope the plans will keep in mind the building’s own history and be respectful to the surrounding environment as well.
“There’s a pressing need for short-term accommodation in the city, one look at the hotel prices will tell you that, and any means of dealing with that will be very welcome.”
More than 100 jobs were lost when E&M closed its doors, after the company went into administration.
Dustin MacDonald, chairman of Aberdeen City Centre Community Council, is confident these plans, unlike previous proposals, will come to fruition.
“The biggest difference now is the Marischal Square plans,” Mr MacDonald said. “That area will have life in it again if everything goes to plan.
“It’s good to see something being done with the site, it’s been left to get a bit downtrodden in recent years.
“I noticed there is work being done on the building to make it safer and following it up with a hotel means there’s going to be a bit more happening there.
“Between the 98 bedrooms there and the 125 bedrooms in the Muse hotel, that’s nearly 225 bedrooms that would be available in a city known for being overly expensive for accommodation, during the working week.”