A 21st century revamp of a dormant Moray distillery aimed at reviving it as a hotel has attracted concerns from heritage experts.
Brothers Dale and Mark Winchester want to open a whisky cafe and shop at Coleburn Distillery near Elgin.
It is hoped the proposals could kick-start work at the rest of the Fogwatt site to build a hotel as well as holiday lodges and cottages.
Whisky shop and cafe could “kick-start” major transformation of historic distillery
However, the modern take on converting the 19th Century warehouse has attracted concerns from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
Officials believe alterations could instead be made to the inside of the Victorian building for visitors to soak in the atmosphere.
Yesterday planning consultant Alan Farningham explained amendments would be considered as part of the process.
He said: “With applications such as this on listed buildings, there are always elements that we will need to sort out.
“The fact is that we are looking to restore the building and get it back into active use, which will have a significant impact on the local and wider economy.”
A separate application has also been made to expand a warehouse so more whisky can be stored at the distillery to generate extra revenue for the £14million hotel, spa and conference centre plans.
A consultation response submitted by (HES) to Moray Council has recommended alterations to the plans to make them more acceptable.
A spokesman wrote: “Although we welcome the conversion and re-use of this building as an important part of Coleburn’s new future, we are of the view that the projecting roof and opening-up at the south-east gable will have an adverse impact on the character of the building and wider historic distillery complex.
“This is because the gable faces the main approach to the complex, and the non-traditional design of the alteration will draw undue attention to itself in our view.”
Despite expressing concerns about the proposals HES explained the development did not raise enough concerns to warrant an objection.
However, the agency stressed that should not be read as an endorsement of the proposed cafe and shop.
