Plans for a “major” new hotel and student housing complex in the heart of Aberdeen could move forward next week.
Atholl Square Developments want to turn Atholl House, on Guild Street, into a 150 bedroom hotel and 500 student rooms.
Shops, offices and restaurants are also planned for the redevelopment, which would involve increasing the height of the building to more than 10 storeys.
On Thursday, a pre-application meeting will be held at the town house at 2.30pm to discuss the proposals.
Atholl Square Developments then hopes to lodge a planning application by May.
The plans could lead to Guild Street being pedestrianised, with the aim of improving access from the concourse level of the railway station to Bridge Street and onwards to Union Street.
A public exhibition was held at the Station Hotel, offering business owners and people in the surrounding area a chance to share their views.
And representatives at the event said they hope work could be started next year if the plans are approved.
As part of the City Centre Masterplan, the council identified Atholl House for development.
A report to members reads: “This proposal constitutes a ‘major’ application for the redevelopment of Atholl House, and the adjoining land over the existing railway lines associated with Aberdeen station.”
But new research has revealed that less than half the hotel rooms in Aberdeen were filled in February.
In its latest LJ Forecaster Scottish Intercity Report tracking city centre hotel performance in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, LJ Research said rooms in the Granite City were only 46.5% filled last month.
The controversial £107million Marischal Square will also contain hotel space.
A spokesman for Atholl Square Developments said: “Ultimately, our proposals for the site of Atholl House are intended to fit in with the development brief for the Station Gateway, and we aim to take forward formal plans later in 2016.
“We have developed a project website to allow the public to look at the latest information on the scheme, and to give us their thoughts.
“Public consultation is also an important part of what is the very earliest stage of the development of our proposals on the site of Atholl House, and a further event will take place in the coming weeks.”
