Welcome to our weekly round-up of the latest planning applications lodged across the north-east.
Summer has well and truly arrived, with the north-east playing host to some seldom-seen scorchers and the school holidays just around the corner.
One of the region’s most popular spots on warm days is Stonehaven – and no visit is complete without an ice cream.
And soon visitors could have the chance to grab a scoop or two from a converted fishing store at the town’s harbour.
Elsewhere, for anyone keen to practise their swimming prior to a dook in the sea, a new training pool is planned for a former Laurencekirk charity shop… And more outdoor seating could soon be available in Aberdeen.
Part of Fittie’s fishing history to be demolished for AirBnB
First though, there are plans for some changes at a pair of properties in a historic Aberdeen seaside community.
Owner Victoria Buchanan recently bought the 2 North Square cottage, which she lets out as an AirBnb.
She now wants permission to knock down an old “tarry shed” – originally used to store nets and other fishing equipment when the community was built in the early 1800s.
The hostess wants to flatten one of the “few remaining” huts to make way for a “usable accommodation space”.
Consent was previously granted for its demolition more than a decade ago, with Albyn Architects arguing that “indicates it is no longer of special interest”.
And images sent to Aberdeen City Council show how the timber has become rotten.
The firm adds: “It is difficult to justify the client spending money to repair a building which lacks potential.
“If the building cannot be replaced, then it will fall into a further state of disrepair and potentially become a safety hazard.
They warn that a neighbouring “tarry shed”, in even worse condition, is “attracting rodents”.
The architects add: “Whilst we understand the ‘tarry sheds’ form part of the history of the area, unfortunately, the building has reached a point where it requires substantial repairs and does not lend itself to modern living.”
A separate application has been lodged for a new outbuilding with a kitchenette, dining area, living room and shower on the ground floor and a mezzanine level upstairs.
Who owns Fittie garden?
Elsewhere in the picturesque area, 25 South Square owner Simon Wright has bought a small piece of land from the council for £2,700.
The patch in question has been used by the owners of that cottage for about 100 years, but was actually classed as public “amenity ground”.
Now, as part of the process of claiming it, he is applying for permission to have the 55sq m plot classed as “private garden space”.
Aberdeen guesthouse to become family home
Meanwhile, an Aberdeen guesthouse worth more than half-a-million pounds a decade ago is being converted into a home.
Ardbeg Guesthouse, on Bon Accord Street, sold for £550,000 in 2012 but there have been big changes in the city’s fortunes since then.
And owner Karen Petrie is now transforming it into a home for her family, who currently live on the ground floor.
By expanding upwards, they will almost double the floorspace available to them.
Turriff cricket pavilion replacement planned
With just months until one of the north-east’s biggest summer spectacles, the Turriff Show committee is seeking permission to flatten and replace a cricket pavillion on The Haughs.
What’s proposed is a like-for-like upgrade to the building used by Turriff Cricket Club.
The plans come as organisers are preparing for the return of Scotland’s biggest two-day agricultural show at the end of July.
Balmekewan butchery proposal could be good news for venison fans
Phil Swire, who owns the Balmakewan Farm Shop and Tea Room near Laurencekirk, has big plans to expand – and they have already been backed by a local hotel boss.
He wants to knock down part of a farm building to create his own butchery and food storage area.
In an application form, he says the work will “allow produce to be grown and reared on the farm”, to “make it more sustainable”.
Owner of the Marine Hotel in Stonehaven, Robert Lindsay, is “excited” about potentially being able to offer guests organically farmed venison.
In a letter to Aberdeenshire Council, he says: “Our business has always been keen to offer good quality local produce, our tourist trade are looking for an authentic
taste of Scotland.
“But we have always struggled to find a consistent quality both in terms of flavour and tenderness.
“This project would allow us access to a consistently excellent product.”
Laurencekirk ‘health studio’ to bring swimming pool to town
Nearby, the former British Red Cross charity shop at 58 High Street in Laurencekirk could be in for a radical revamp.
The owners of Blue Sky Swimming, Jacquie and Craig Donoghue, want to make a splash by fitting it out with a small swimming pool.
They would use it for lessons, swimming skills sessions and hydrotherapy.
Other parts of the building would be used for fitness classes and personal training.
And they would even hire the facility out to people keen for a swim without having to travel out of Laurencekirk.
Scroll back and forth to see how the shop could change:
Papers sent to Aberdeenshire Council explain Jacquie, an experienced swimming coach and fitness instructor, has been looking for just such an opportunity “for many years”.
Since 2005, she has been specialising in helping older people improve their fitness with sessions at halls and centres.
She trained as a swimming coach in 2018 and reckons the former charity shop offers “the perfect location” for a pool and fitness studio.
Papers sent to the council add: “There is no public pool in Laurencekirk and there has been several failed fundraising attempts by the community in the past to build one.
“Craig and Jacquie want to provide an easily accessible training facility in the
town thereby greatly reducing travelling.”
Could Cheerz soon have its own outdoor seating?
In recent weeks we have reported on various plans for new beer gardens in Aberdeen, and now Cheerz is keen to open up a space of its own.
The institution wants to put six large round tables, with benches, on the pavement along Exchange Street, along with parasols and branded barriers.
It would be a way for the business to bounce back, with Cheerz suffering during the pandemic when the government banned music in pubs.
Boss George Mackenzie, who lodged the application, said the rules were “suffocating the industry” as he closed Cheerz for a spell in 2020.
Jury’s Inn becoming Leonardo hotel
Just a few steps away, the Jury’s Inn at Union Square is to be rebranded as a Leonardo hotel.
The chain was bought by Fattal Hotel Group for £800m in 2017 and plans are in motion to upgrade branches across the UK.
Within months, bosses want every remaining Jury’s Inn in the UK to take on the name of its sister brand.
Managing director Jason Carruthers told the Big Hospitality website the changes will “accelerate Leonardo’s momentum as one of the fastest growing brands in Europe”.
ASPC bank takeover confirmed
Almost three years since it closed, property firm ASPC has been given the go-ahead to take over the former TSB on the corner of Holburn Street.
Aberdeen City Council has granted permission for various works to kit out the inside of the building, and to remove the long-unused ATMs.
Blueprints show how there would be a public area with touch-screen kiosks to browse properties on the market.
Behind the scenes, two offices and a boardroom also feature in the proposed overhaul.
Anyone for ice cream at Stonehaven Harbour Hut?
Finally, Stonehaven businesswoman Vickie Alexander is planning to relaunch her Harbour Hut ice cream shop – by converting a derelict old fishing store at the port.
Speaking about her business in 2017, she explained that she grew up by the harbour and described her pride in combining her business idea with the cherished location.
Since then, the shop she ran at the High Street has closed down.
But papers lodged by Inspired Design and Development on her behalf show how the old building would be named The Harbour Hut, like the old parlour she once ran nearby.
Andy Taylor, of the town’s Highfield Way, has written to the council calling for it to be approved.
He said: “The community and council should fully support the risk people are prepared to take in investing in Stonehaven.
“Small businesses are an asset to Stonehaven.
“I hope application is approved and the business flourishes. The Harbour Hut has
been missed since its closure on the High Street.”
Will you welcome back the Harbour Hut? Let us know in our comments section below
You can see the plans for yourself using these links:
Demolition of Fittie ‘tarry shed’ and replacement building plans
Jury’s Inn becoming Leonardo hotel
Stonehaven Harbour Hut ice cream shop
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