Welcome to our weekly round-up of the latest planning applications lodged across the north-east.
This week we have welcome news for a trio of communities who have lost banks amid a recent slew of region-wide closures.
Plans to breathe new life into a former TSB in Peterculter and Bank of Scotland in Huntly have both been approved.
And exciting moves to turn an empty Aberdeen Santander into a restaurant have also been rubber-stamped.
Elsewhere, we look at a council proposal to cut repair bills by removing the granite setts from the King George VI bridge in Aberdeen…
Poundworld becoming Cancer Research shop at Aberdeen beach
First though, one of the north-east’s biggest charity shops could soon be opening up in a long-vacant unit at Aberdeen’s Beach Boulevard Retail Park.
Poundworld, next to the Aldi supermarket, closed after the discount firm went bust in 2018.
The 8,446sq ft space has lain empty ever since.
But now, plans lodged with Aberdeen City Council reveal that Cancer Research UK wants to turn it into a relatively cavernous second-hand shop.
The London-based charity is applying for permission to replace Poundworld’s old signs with its own purple logos as part of the bid.
Extension plans for historic Mearns coaching inn
The owners of a picturesque 18th Century coaching inn on the outskirts of Stonehaven want permission for an extension at the B-listed property.
The three-storey Old Kirkton Inn, which is in the Kirktown of Fetteresso Conservation Area, became Keith and Lorraine Stewarts’ home in 1995.
Now, they aim to “future-proof” the property by replacing a lean-to utility room and log shed with extra living space.
The two-storey addition would have an accessible shower and a garden room which “will act as additional living or a ground floor sleeping space”.
Papers sent to Aberdeenshire Council by Hyve Architects state: “The proposal will secure the best viable use of the building for its occupants.
“A key aspect of the design is to create a connection between the dwelling and the wonderful gardens that surround the property.”
Tim Horton’s plans are on the level…
A few weeks ago, developers behind a new Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s in Aberdeen had to re-submit previously approved plans.
It came after Scottish Water raised concerns about the stated site levels posing a threat to pipes.
Now, fans eagerly awaiting the north-east arrival of the Canadian coffee chain can breathe a sigh of relief…
Revised plans, showing a different site level, have been approved by Aberdeen City Council – meaning the work now has permission to move forward.
Wondering what the fuss is about? Here’s a glimpse of what people can look forward to at Tim Horton’s:
Charity making big move to base of its own
A children’s cancer charity has lodged plans to open up a new centre of its own nearby at the Tullos Industrial Estate.
Team Jak, named after teenager Jak Trueman who died in 2015, began in Livingston but has been offering support across the north and north-east for years.
By taking over the former St Andrew’s Children’s Society building on Greenwell Road, they could run their own day centre for children and young people battling the disease.
Papers sent to the council explain it would be used for drop-in sessions, music therapy, counselling sessions and occasional coffee mornings.
The documents add: “The building will offer a place for children and young persons receiving cancer treatments in ARI to come, between treatments, with their family.”
Granite to be removed from King George VI bridge in cost-saving move
There are plans to remove the granite setts from an Aberdeen bridge opened by The Queen Mother in 1941.
In a quaint tradition, after the Lady Provost gifted her a pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, her husband King George VI handed the then-Queen a penny to present in return – a superstition ensuring the friendship wouldn’t be severed.
More than 80 years on, the penny-pinching council is preparing to cut ties with some of its history…
The local authority is applying to carry out a package of repairs, but needs permission to remove the granite due to the historic nature of the B-listed crossing.
Papers explain that the hundreds of historic bricks spanning the Dee will need to be lifted to waterproof the bridge deck.
And when that’s done, the local authority wants to resurface the central reservation with concrete.
The papers state that using concrete will “reduce the construction programme, and reduces the construction cost”.
Under the scheme, some setts will be kept to retain some of the bridge’s “character” – being relaid at each end of the crossing.
Any surplus stones will be kept in council storage.
Mosque to live on despite closure of adjoining buildings
Plans to turn buildings attached to the mosque on Aberdeen’s Spital into housing have been approved.
It came as Islamic leaders reassured worried worshippers that the move will not lead to the closure of the mosque itself.
Read our full report here.
Fraserburgh Heritage Centre repairs move forward
Last autumn, Storm Arwen ripped the roof from Fraserburgh Heritage Centre as terrifying gusts swept the north-east.
Last month, Planning Ahead revealed that proposals were in place to replace the roof – which would be the first step towards restoring and reopening the attraction.
And now those plans have been approved, with the 82m by 19m pitched replacement said to be more “storm-proof” than the barrel-shaped version torn off last year.
Volunteers welcomed the “new beginnings” in a Facebook post:
New lease of life granted for former Peterculter TSB
Now, we look at a trifecta of applications bringing abandoned banks into use to improve their communities.
Aberdeen City Council has approved plans to turn the former TSB on North Deeside Road in Peterculter into a bigger and better base for the local Ashgrove vets.
Vet and partner in the firm, Kevin Barclay, said the new premises would help them “improve the service” offered.
And the shift along the street to a bigger venue is to come with an increase in jobs.
The TSB in the Aberdeen suburb closed in 2020, despite protests against the loss of the community’s last bank.
Huntly Bank of Scotland restaurant plans sealed
Similar anger erupted when the Bank of Scotland announced plans to abandon Huntly last April, after the town had already lost various others.
But in April, a local business stepped up to the plate with plans to rescue the empty space.
Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky (DTSW) had already bought the old Clydesdale building at the junction of The Square and Gordon Street last July, transforming it into The Bank Restaurant.
Keen to expand, they lodged proposals for the B-listed Bank of Scotland building next door.
Designs show how the old bank floor would provide space for four added four-seater tables and three with space for 10 diners.
And now Aberdeenshire Council planning chiefs have given their blessing for the revamp to take shape.
You can read our full story about the plans here.
Former Aberdeen Santander becoming restaurant
In June, we revealed how the former Santander bank opposite the John Lewis building in Aberdeen city centre could be in for a new lease of life.
The 93-99 George Street site has been vacant since it closed in November 2019.
Jutinder Singh, who is based in England, lodged the plans on behalf of Beaconsfield Assets Ltd.
The council has now approved the scheme, which will bring both floors back into use.
Scroll back and forth to see how the Aberdeen Santander will be transformed into a restaurant:
Planning bosses say the conversion will “have a positive impact on the vitality of the city centre”, without affecting any similar ventures on George Street or in the Bon Accord Centre.
Blueprints submitted to the council show how the ground floor would be converted to feature the kitchen, a bar and 28 seats.
Offices on the first floor would be turned into a 62-seat restaurant space, with a further 16 customers in a private dining area.
It would also offer take-aways, with a designated waiting area pencilled in for the ground floor.
The type of restaurant is not yet known, though the developers have been contacted for more information.
What other vacant bank buildings do you think are ideally suited for a new use? Let us know in our comments section
Old doocot to form part of new countryside home
The owner of Huntly Lodge Farm, Gordon Lawson, has been granted permission to convert a doocot to form the entrance to a new countryside home.
The B-listed doocot in question is thought to date as far back as the 1750s, and has been put on the buildings at risk register in recent years.
It contains 435 nesting boxes, with the estate using droppings as manure and the feathers for pillows in times gone by.
As part of wider plans for the land north of Huntly, Mr Lawson wants to retain the “best buildings” – and restore the old doocot.
He has now been given permission to clear the derelict farm buildings behind the structure to form a new home.
Papers submitted by Lippe Architects say: “The agreed design allows the doocot to remain dominant, and appears detached from the new build linked only by a simple glazed link.”
The extension to the doocot will comprise a two-bedroom bungalow with a courtyard between the historic structure and the property.
Blueprints also suggest the doocot will be put to new use as a wine cellar!
Read more here about plans to convert an old doocot at Newmachar into an entrepreneur’s dream home – and peruse dozens of round-ups in our Planning Ahead archive here.
You can see this week’s plans for yourself using these links:
Housing plans at mosque approved
Fraserburgh Heritage Centre repairs
Aberdeen Santander restaurant proposals approved
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