Welcome to our weekly round-up of the latest planning applications lodged across the north-east.
This week, Baker Hughes has lodged plans for the demolition of a huge building in Bridge of Don after sacking scores of workers there last year.
Elsewhere in Aberdeen, there are proposals to breathe life into some prominent vacant buildings – with a modern Scottish art gallery eyeing up an old west end office.
And the new owners of a “dilapidated” Banchory cottage want to knock it down to create space for an “unashamedly contemporary” eco-friendly home.
A ‘dessert dining experience like no other’ coming to Union Street
We start with good news for Aberdeen’s hard-hit main shopping street.
The former Sainsbury’s shop at 206 Union Street will be brought back into use – being divided into a branch of Heavenly Desserts and Chinese take-away Oodles.
The plans, lodged in March, have now been approved by the council.
And floor plans show how the premises, close to Aberdeen Music Hall, will be reconfigured.
Scroll back and forth to see the changes:
Heavenly Desserts was founded in 2008 and has made its name selling a range of cheesecakes, brownies, milkshakes and sundaes.
The company describes itself as offering “a dessert dining experience like no other” and already has branches in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as other parts of the UK.
The scheme comes as the council improves a block of old flats above the shops to encourage more people to live in the city centre.
Any of the new tenants won’t have far to go for a snack – be they sweet-toothed or in the mood for noodles.
Gallery to take over abandoned Aberdeen office
Meanwhile, the upmarket Gallery Heinzel has formed plans to take over the former AG Bean chartered surveyors office on the corner of Chattan Place and Great Western Road.
Heinzel, which specialises in contemporary art, currently operates from Thistle Street.
Blueprints lodged by Mackie Ramsay Taylor architects show how the 1 and 3 Chattan Place addresses would be merged to form an expansive ground floor with two gallery areas.
The lower ground floor would be used for storage.
Gallery Heinzel did not respond to a request for comment on whether the move will mean the closure of the Thistle Street shop.
Separate plans have been lodged for new signs at the building, with a placard on the pavement outside.
Gallery Heinzel is owned by Maura Tighe, who began working for its founder Chris Heinzel in 1999 and took over the business in 2000.
Illuminating plans for Braemar medical centre
This weekend, the eyes of the world will turn to Braemar as the country’s biggest and most famous Highland Games event returns in all its glory.
In the years since it was last staged in 2019, the local medical centre has relocated to a temporary base at the Gathering’s Princess Royal and Duke Of Fife Memorial Park.
The Braemar Health Centre will remain there while £500,000 upgrades are performed at the St Andrew’s Terrace building.
NHS Grampian is now applying for permission to install streetlights at the back of the Duke of Rothesay pavilion leading to the temporary unit.
Aboyne shop to become office
Elsewhere in Deeside, an architect has designs on an empty store in the heart of Aboyne.
Strathdon-based Brown and Brown wants to take over a unit at Station Square, next to the Monkey Business children’s shoe shop.
Ramshackle roof being replaced at Fraserburgh tennis courts
The Fraserburgh South Links Sports Development Trust is serving up plans to replace the “badly deteriorating” roof at the pavilion next to the town’s tennis courts.
The group says many of the felt shingles are missing and sections of the walls “are rotting”, with many replaced by sheets of plywood.
Members are now applying for permission to upgrade the roof and walls, “with a view to preserving the lifespan of the pavilion”.
Solar panels will also be added to the revamped roof.
Controversial Slains Castle plans progress…
We recently revealed how Aberdeen’s famously spooky Slains Castle pub could soon be converted into an upmarket Slug and Lettuce cocktail bar.
Dismayed regulars told us they would soon have to find a new place to drink.
Now, owners Stonegate have progressed their plans with updated blueprints showing how the coffin-shaped boards at the front of the building will be removed, and the gothic Slains Castle sign will be replaced…
Noose and Monkey swanky revamp
Meanwhile, the nearby Noose and Monkey pub has been undergoing a more subtle image overhaul in recent years – with an increasing focus on mouth-watering meals.
Now the owners, Edinburgh-based Star Pubs and Bars, want to spruce up the exterior.
Images sent to the council show how the signs could be upgraded, some with illuminated replacements.
Westhill fitness fans to get in touch with their inner gladiator…
Planning Ahead recently revealed proposals to turn an empty Westill office into a gym.
Now, perhaps inspired by the Gladiatorial feats of strength on display in ancient Roman times, the name for the proposed fitness facility has been unveiled as The Colosseum.
Applicants Specialist Valve Services Ltd have applied separately for new signs at the Arnhall Business Park site displaying the mighty moniker.
The unit was previously an office for the Optimus engineering company.
Have a look around the empty space here:
New Aberdeen hospital delayed further
Planning papers lodged with Aberdeen City Council indicate that construction of the new Baird Family Hospital could take slightly longer than expected.
In June we reported that the new building was set to open in March 2024.
However, in seeking to extend planning permission for the creation of a new entrance, NHS Grampian has signalled a change.
They say that the “expected timescale for the construction” of the Baird Family Hospital and accompanying Anchor Centre is April 30, 2024.
Peterculter pizza plans
Earlier this year, Bieldside-based Paul Young had his plans to transform an empty Peterculter shop into apartments rejected.
Scroll back and forth to see the ill-fated vision:
The council said the 14-flat block’s “scale, height, form and density” would “result in
overdevelopment of the site”, with an “adverse impact on Peterculter”.
After a quick trip back to the drawing board, Mr Young is hoping his new plans for the “derelict” shop will win favour.
He says he has been approached by a local businessman who would be keen to lease the 242 North Deeside Road unit as a take-away pizza parlour.
Seeking permission for the change of use from Aberdeen City Council, he explains that the space was part of a bakery business before he purchased it.
He refurbished the adjacent shop, now run as a tanning salon, but was unable to open the smaller unit as retail – so it has lain empty since he bought it in 2016.
The site on the western edge of the suburb, just off the A93 Aberdeen to Banchory road, also has some “derelict” former workshops to the rear.
Black Dog outdoor seating plea
The Black Dog pub in Bridge of Don is seeking permission to keep the outdoor seating it installed for customers to enjoy some outdoor hospitality.
The extra tables and chairs are already in place, so the application is a retrospective one.
Should Aberdeen City Council refuse the plans, the tables, chairs and fencing would have to be removed.
Do you have any thoughts on this week’s plans? Let us know in our comments section
Baker Hughes demolition plans
US energy service firm Baker Hughes has been present on Aberdeen’s Woodside Road since the 1970s, when the oil boom was in its infancy.
Over the years the building there has undergone expansion – with a £100,000 cash injection in 2002 for a new training centre.
But in the 20 years since then, a lot has changed.
Last year some 100 jobs were lost at the Bridge of Don plant when the manufacturing base there was shut down.
At the time, a spokeswoman said “unprecedented market conditions” and a drop-off in demand meant the firm had to cut costs.
And now, Baker Hughes is seeking permission to knock down the 211,829sq ft building off Ellon Road.
But the company told us that demolition is just one option for it…
Baker Hughes demolition scheme only to provide ‘optionality’
A spokeswoman said Baker Hughes has received an offer for the complex, which could secure its future.
The planning application has been lodged in case the sale falls through.
The firm says having permission to flatten it might provide “attractive optionality to an alternative potential buyer”.
Demolition is a route many firms have gone down to avoid paying huge business rates on empty premises.
According to the Scottish Government’s non-domestic rates calculator, the old factory could cost as much as £476,000 every year in tax.
Banchory cottage could be bulldozed to make way for huge home
Howeburn House and Cottage at Auchattie, on the southern outskirts of Banchory, were put on the market for £390,000 last year.
New owners Robin and Claire Miller bought it “with the intention to settle long-term, making Howeburn their family home”.
They have now submitted plans to demolish the building near Scolty Hill to create an eye-catching Scandi-style family property.
Architects Brown and Brown say the current buildings are “dilapidated”, and making them energy-efficient would “incur a significant cost”.
They promise the proposed replacement will be a “low-energy sustainable home”, described as “unashamedly contemporary”.
These floor plans show how the one-storey property would be divided into three “volumes” – for the garage, social spaces and bedrooms:
You can see this week’s plans for yourself using these links:
Chattan Place building changes and signage
Braemar Health Centre lighting
Conversation