Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals lodged across the north-east.
Today’s instalment comes days before Burns Night – but it’s pizza, cakes and ice cream on our menu rather than haggis and whisky…
A new pizza parlour has been approved in the heart of Inverurie, an Instagram baker wants to take her online business into Aberdeen and we have a scoop about a new ice cream shop planned for Aboyne…
We also look at how traditional buildings are being adapted to fit modern requirements.
Aberdeen Arts Centre bosses want to improve wheelchair access, while an old farm building at Alford could be turned into a holiday let for people with MND.
Holburn Street cake shop plans
Sugar Skulls and Cream was started by Potterton’s Andrea Gabor about two years ago, and it’s built quite a following since then.
Andrea tells us she began by making a birthday cake for her baby twins and soon started receiving requests from impressed friends.
Currently, the one-woman operation exists on orders alone, with requests flooding in on social media.
Alongside looking after her young children, Andrea has her hands full preparing towering wedding and birthday cakes, gooey brownies and special “treat boxes” for her army of followers.
But she now wants to expand by turning an old solicitors’ office on Holburn Street into a mouthwatering venue for fancy piece aficionados.
The building is near the Holburn Bar and had been advertised for lease since The Chamber Practice moved out.
Papers sent to Aberdeen City Council say she ultimately wants to have seven tables serving tea, coffee, hot chocolate and a range of home bakes and cakes.
Andrea will be hoping to emulate the success of Fat Batch in Kittybrewster, whose owner Eve Smith turned the brookie-based Instagram sensation into a thriving bricks and mortar enterprise.
As for the unusual name, Andrea chuckles as she tells us she has “always been a little bit different”.
Skulls are a passion of hers, and she saw it as a way to stand out in a crowded cake market.
She added: “I don’t mind being known as the crazy lady with the skulls.”
New roadside diner could be built beside A96
An A96 petrol station near Huntly could be reinvented under major new plans.
The Ashgrove filling station might soon become home to a large cafe if proposals lodged by Sean Buchan are approved.
There’s already space for four lorries to park there, but these plans would also create another seven berths.
And blueprints show how the proposed cafe building would have an area for truckers to relax on their long drives.
The facilities would include a vending machine, a 24-hour shower block and a “bothy” area.
The restaurant, meanwhile, would have space for 60 people.
These concept images offer a glimpse at the possible future of the Ashgrove:
Permission needed for Aberdeen food van
In Aberdeen, Arun Dhanola is seeking permission to start trading from a food truck on the side of Quarry Road in Northfield.
Mr Dhanola says the 12ft long trailer is parked there just now but isn’t yet in business.
Located next to various units at Northfield Industrial Estate, he will be hoping peckish workers make a success of the scheme.
‘Wellness retreat’ in north-east countryside to ‘rejuvenate the soul’
Proposed holiday lets at Lonmay, just off the A90 between Peterhead and Fraserburgh, have been hailed as a stress-busting chance to reconnect with nature.
Andrew and Lesley Calzetti want to create the two huts in a field adjacent to their Old Schoolhouse home.
The planned “Fiddlers Retreat” destination would operate as “a beautiful, calm wellness retreat”.
The owners would transform the field into a wildflower meadow to attract bees and butterflies.
They add: “Our adult guests would be offered an environment where they would be able to relax, recover, and reconnect with nature – whether suffering from stress, burnout or merely visiting with a fitness or well-being purpose in mind.
“We would offer local, holistic therapies, ranging from reflexology, aromatherapy, reiki, acupuncture, massage etc.”
Mr and Mrs Calzetti say the restored landscape would “not only rejuvenate the soul but increase biodiversity”.
What could visitors get up to?
Guests would be asked if they want to plant a fruit tree at a proposed orchard, while the owners would also offer to arrange sessions with Fraserburgh surfing instructors.
What’s more, each hut would come with two bikes to encourage visitors to explore the area on the nearby Formartine and Buchan Way.
Mr and Mrs Calzetti add: “The area is largely undiscovered for tourism.
“We will offer information on local golf, hiking, bird watching and trails in the huts and on the website, encouraging visitors to such sights as Aden Country Park, Slains Castle and Cruden Bay.”
Will Aboyne post office plans be signed, sealed and delivered?
Plans to breathe new life into the old Post Office on Charlestown Road in Aboyne should appeal to sweet-toothed residents…
The service was relocated in 2015, and the 1850 building has been listed for sale in recent years.
Steven Gardiner, from Aberdeen-based Treehouse Properties, has now submitted plans to turn the old Post Office into an ice cream shop – while transforming the rest of the building into a home.
Aberdeen airport ‘salt dome’ approved
People across the north-east have been feeling quite a chill in the last week or so, with many roads and pavements resembling ice rinks.
We're aware many pavements & roads are icy but we can’t cover the entire city all of the time.
There are 1,242 miles of pavements & 620 miles of roads so gritting is prioritised, find out at https://t.co/d2qPfkJMXH
❗ Yellow Met Office warning for ice until 12midday TOMORROW. pic.twitter.com/FFxnee2s4I— Aberdeen City Council (@AberdeenCC) January 18, 2023
Bosses at Aberdeen International Airport are now taking action to ensure the roads around the Dyce terminal are kept safe.
Plans to create a new salt storage dome on unused land at nearby Ninian Road have been endorsed by the council.
A spokesman for Aberdeen International Airport said: “This will allow us to have more grit available for our landside roads, helping passenger access to our terminal.”
Inverurie take-away approved sparking Pizza Hut intrigue
Meanwhile, plans to turn part of a former Co-op in Inverurie into a new take-away have been rubber-stamped.
The scheme, unveiled in Planning Ahead last summer, has been formed by Kirkaldy-based Glenshire Properties.
The Co-op closed several years ago, and the building has since been divided and taken on as a new Greens grocery shop.
The unit next door is a JG Ross bakery.
There are no details on who will be operating the pizzeria at this point.
Could former Inverurie Co-op become Pizza Hut?
But Glenshire Properties last month announced that it had “added Pizza Hut to its business portfolio”, and it’s currently advertising for a Pizza Hut manager in Kirkcaldy.
Garioch fans of the international chain will be intrigued to see what happens next.
Pizza Hut already has 17,639 restaurants across the globe, making it the world’s largest pizza chain.
We have approached Glenshire for further information.
Scroll back and forth to see how the unit will be transformed:
Would you like to see Pizza Hut come to Inverurie? Let us know in our comments section below
Old Alford farm building could become MND-friendly getaway
An Alford steading that dates back to at least the 19th century could be revamped under plans put forward by farming couple Alan and Jane Craik.
The B-listed Tullynessle building is described as a “chaumer”, meaning it was once the living quarters of farm workers, but it’s latterly been used as a store.
The owners want to turn it into “fully accessible” accommodation to be offered to people with MND.
They aim to extend the one-bedroom space with an open plan living/kitchen area, which could also host a sofa bed for a carer to use.
A separate single-storey building would be built at the lower end of the garden for other family members.
There would also be decking outside with a firepit for summertime stays, focussing on “families holidaying together”.
A “fully accessible” route to the entrance would be paved, with everything inside kitted out to meet all needs.
But some nods to its agricultural past will be included, such as “barn-type” doors and internal timber linings.
There would even be secure fences to allow pet dogs to roam free without any risk of them escaping.
The MND Scotland website says that finding “suitable” holiday accommodation “can be difficult and often frustrating” for people with the condition.
The charity offers two specialist holiday homes in Scotland: Tralee Bay Chalet near Oban and Clayton Lodge close to St Andrews.
We are very happy to announce that our chalet and holiday lodge are both now available for free to anyone in the UK living with #MND. 🏡
It is our hope that this helps more people than ever to make precious memories and enjoy some much-needed respite.
Find out more below 👇
— MND Scotland (@MNDScotland) April 1, 2022
Seafarers Centre transformation approved
In October, Planning Ahead revealed proposals to convert Aberdeen Seafarers Centre into new offices.
The changes were tabled after the building was sold for £171,000 at auction in 2020.
Maintenance specialists JOR Property has now been given permission to proceed with the transformation.
Council officers said the location, close to the city’s bus and train stations, could make it an ideal workplace for commuters using public transport.
Upgrades at Aberdeen Arts Centre amid worries about ‘discriminatory’ wheelchair policy
The A-listed Aberdeen Arts Centre is one of the city’s most impressive buildings – but modernising the 200-year-old ex-church could be a challenge.
While the surrounding streets have changed, the building remains the same in our ‘then and now’ graphic:
Last year, bosses announced a million-pound makeover for the former North Parish Church.
It would include a new balcony facing Queen Street and a central square outside.
And now operators Castlegate Arts want to carry out a package of works to make the venue more wheelchair-friendly.
They say the current arrangement could be seen as “discriminatory”.
The present approach sees wheelchair users entering via the back of Aberdeen Arts Centre.
That means they have to leave the “grand” main entrance used by able-bodied visitors, before entering via the stage props door.
They then use the goods lift to reach the first-floor performance area.
Papers sent to Aberdeen City Council explain how this can “conflict with prop deliveries and theatre technicians, but can also be regarded as discriminatory”.
The theatre wants to be able to “provide the same visitor experience for all”.
And to help wheelchair users get into the building, a platform lift would be built at the front steps.
From there, they could access the first floor via a newly created second lift.
Another upgrade would be removing a raised floor and replacing the area surrounding the stage in the adjoining Children’s Theatre.
It was created in the late 1960s but is now outdated as it acts as a barrier for youngsters with mobility issues reaching the stage.
Architect David Chouman has penned a report, saying the improvements form part of “a wide-ranging programme of refurbishment”.
Mr Chouman says the “bespoke” internal platform lift would be installed in the stairwell of the north-east tower.
The stairwell replaced the original church’s staircase when the building was transformed in the 1960s.
Mr Chouman concludes: “Installing such a facility would provide additional access for those with mobility issues beside the principal entrance, from the same staircase as able-bodied users.”
The scheme has already been backed by London-based Theatres Trust, with its national planning advisor welcoming the efforts to “enhance inclusivity”.
It comes after nearby Aberdeen Sheriff Court was slammed for its “degrading” treatment of wheelchair users as it emerged its lift has been broken since September.
You can see this week’s plans for yourself using these links:
Alford getaway for people with MND
New lifts at Aberdeen Arts Centre
Conversation