A Deeside community could soon have a new village hall.
A planning application has been submitted on behalf of Crathes Public Hall Trust to build a community facility for the village, which would replace the existing building.
The trustees at the hall had explored carrying out refurbishment, but the work would have cost almost as much as building one from scratch, estimated at around £650,000.
If approved, the replacement would be constructed where the car park currently sits, and the old hall would be demolished.
Moira Hamilton, convener of the board of trustees, said: “This is needed because the current one is really needing upgraded. It’s damp and it’s also cold.
“We had a community consultation and it was decided that we would move forward with a replacement.
“If possible, we would use the existing one while building the new facility.
“We have got half a dozen groups who use the hall regularly, including football and table tennis, and it’s always busy at night.
“But during the day, it’s not that well used and we’d like to attract more people and it will also hopefully be better used during the winter, because it’s currently too cold.
“There are also lots of private hires, so I think a new hall would be good for that, and we would also be able to hold two things at once because we have two separate rooms.”
The group has enlisted the help of Jim Knowles to help with the fundraising drive after he spearheaded the campaign to help build Banchory Sports Village, which is due to open this summer.
Mrs Hamilton added: “We will have a mix of fundraising, smaller and larger events, and we will be applying for external funding as well.”
The current hall was built in 1929 and has undergone refurbishment in the decades since. If the plans are approved, the trustees hope to start construction in 2021.
Meanwhile, the application has been submitted as a new platform was completed at the nearby railway.
The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society completed the scenic West Lodge platform, around a mile from the base at the Milton of Crathes station.
