A former Aberdeenshire hotel could be brought back to life as flats.
Plans have lodged to convert the Vale Hotel in Alford, which has been on the market for “some time”, into four homes.
Originally 10 flats had been proposed, but the team behind the proposals later reduced the scale of the redevelopment after meeting with planners at Aberdeenshire Council.
Now Colin Thompson Chartered Architects are hoping to secure consent for the four flats, which would be split over the ground and first floors.
A statement in the design papers submitted to the local authority states: “The Vale Hotel was at one point a well-established business.
“However, the hotel has been on the open market for some time and has had no real or realistic interest in its sale for business purposes.
“The failure of this hotel business is testament that the future of the building under this use is unlikely to be a financially viable option.”
Plans include the demolition of a single-storey extension to the rear of the property and part of the main building to create a stairwell and bin store.
The papers add: “We feel this development would be in the interest of the local community and by creating flats instead of new detached housing, it offers more choice and variety to the local housing market.
“We feel that these proposals to develop what is essentially a brownfield site back to residential is appropriate and would provide an important supply of low cost new residential units in the area.
“Retaining the building and it’s traditional features is also an important consideration in the overall conservation of the village and it’s important granite heritage.”