Welcome to Planning Ahead – our weekly round-up of the latest proposals across Moray.
Sit back and enjoy all of the most interesting planning news.
In this week’s edition, alterations have been given the go-ahead for the Elgin Community Centre.
Work is proposed at the Eight Acres Hotel in Elgin, which is set for a major makeover.
Meanwhile, alterations are planned to extend the visitor viewing area at Glen Grant Distillery in Rothes.
But first, we look at Moray Waste Busters’ approved proposals to expand into a former call centre on Forres Enterprise Park.
APPROVED: Transformation of former call centre for Moray Waste Busters
Popular social enterprise Moray Waste Busters has been given the go-ahead to transform a former call centre at Forres Enterprise Park into an additional premises.
Their proposals involve creating facilities for sales, workshops and a cafe at Strathcona House.
The green, not-for-profit venture, founded in 2002 hopes to fund the project via grants and loans.
They currently have a food recycling, wormery, and composting site at Waterford Road in Forres.
APPROVED: Charity settling into temporary home
Charity Elgin Town Hall for the Community is currently primarily operating from the Elgin Community Centre.
Although, they plan to run events at other venues too during the closure of Elgin Town Hall while it is being refurbished and expanded.
Now the group has been given permission to erect a sign displaying “Elgin Town Hall for the Community” on the left side of the building, as viewed from the Lossie Green car park.
The permission for the sign is for two years.
SUBMITTED: Work at Glen Grant Distillery
The Campari Group wantw to make alterations to a warehouse to extend the Glen Grant Distillery’s visitor viewing area.
According to a building warrant, the work could cost around £50,000.
The Italian drinks industry company owns Grant Limited, which operates the distillery.
LDN Architects is representing Glen Grant Ltd in the application.
It comes as work is already ongoing to deliver a premium international visitor attraction at the distillery while remaining true to its Scottish heritage.
The visitor centre is already getting upgraded with a new one-and-a-half storeys high extension which will see a new retail space, seating and a new bar on the ground floor.
Meanwhile, there will be a new reception area formed on the upper floor and installation of a lift to increase accessibility.
They will also build a glasshouse just outside the distillery’s Victorian Garden.
The Victorian-style structure will be able to host up to 25 people within a lush green environment of exotic plants.
The glasshouse will be able to hold up to 25 guests.
This space will support catering for day-to-day visitors and marketing events for the Campari Group.
It will continue the tradition of glasshouses and greenhouses within the distillery gardens dating back to the 1830s.
APPROVED: Dufftown Clocktower transformation
Dufftown and District Community Association has been given the go-ahead to transform the town’s clocktower.
The group officially took over ownership of the town’s famed clocktower in March 2020.
The tower was purchased from the local common good fund with the aim of restoring the landmark.
The association say the repairs and alterations will help to secure a future for this unique building, bringing it back into use by the community to use for the community.
The former basement will be reinstated and used for storage by the DDCA.
Meanwhile, the ground floor will be used as a shared space for a variety of community uses.
And upper floors will accommodate a self-catering one-bedroom holiday apartment with separate access.
Now DDCA is set to apply for a building warrant for the makeover.
Meanwhile, they will look to secure funding and develop ideas around a theme and design for the accommodation.
It is hoped building work on the transformation will start towards the end of this year.
SUBMITTED: Eight Acres Hotel Elgin transformation
An Elgin hotel looks set to be given a major makeover.
7 Hospitality Management has submitted a building warrant for £250,000 worth of work at Eight Acres Hotel on Morriston Road.
The firm manages the hotel on behalf of the owners, the Thailand-based Lake Merritt Group.
The proposed work includes alterations to form bedrooms and changes to the layout and fittings.
According to their website, the Elgin hotel will be closed for renovations from Monday, July 14.
We approached 7 Hospitality Management for comment and more details.
However, they never got back to us.
When Eight Acres Hotel made the news
In 2023, the hotel was closed down to the public to house asylum seekers as part of an arrangement with the Home Office.
The owners signed the government contract before making almost all staff redundant.
They also left customers facing cancelled bookings and gym users chasing membership refunds.
At the time, the hotel blamed reasons “outside of our control”.
Meanwhile, the Home Office refused to disclose how much money was spent on hiring the entire hotel to house asylum seekers.
They feared answering the Press and Journal’s question in the Freedom of Information request would likely endanger the asylum seekers’ physical or mental health staying in the hotel.
The response came even though the hotel was empty when we quizzed them on the contract.
Are you going to be submitting interesting plans? Get in touch at sean.mcangus@ajl.co.uk
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