A derelict Moray hotel will once again become the “hub” of the community after £1.2million plans to bring it back to life were approved.
The Seafield Arms Hotel in Cullen has lain empty since 2011, but was bought by local businessman Charlie Milne, of Milne Property Developments (MPD), two years ago.
Yesterday, the developers were given consent to push on with their plans to transform the A-listed building into a boutique four-star hotel.
The hotel will contain 16 bedrooms, as well as a bistro bar and lounge bar. Three coach house cottages will also be built, which will primarily be used by staff, while a further three bungalows will be built on neighbouring Victoria Street.
Last night, news that the proposals – worth nearly £1.2million – had been approved were welcomed by the local community.
And Amanda Taylor, a director of Buckie-based MPD, said: “This is really good news.
“The residents have been desperate to get the hotel, it’s the hub of the community in Cullen so they’ve been really keen for us to get it up and running again. It’s always been a very good hotel, and it was very disappointing that it shut down.”
She said she expected it to take about 20 months before the doors reopen.
Mrs Taylor added: “These plans have been in the pipeline for a couple of years, since we purchased the hotel.
“It’s probably a 20-month project, it’s one of the biggest projects that we’ve done in the area.
“We’re really happy the plans have been approved, and are now keen to get moving on it.”
Locals shared their delight at the news online last night.
Karen Wright wrote: “Fantastic news for Cullen. This will hopefully bring that bit of buzz back to the area not to mention the income from tourists.”
Marcia Longmore said: “Brilliant. Been a long time coming, but will be great for Cullen to have the Seafield up and running again.”
And Lynne Sutherland added: “Fantastic news, can’t wait to see it finished. A welcome boost for the area.”
The Seafield Arms was originally put on the market in 2011 for £900,000, but was eventually snapped up by Mr Milne – who also owns the Banff Springs Hotel and the Regency Garage in Buckie – for £250,000.
At the time, the businessman urged people in Cullen to “be patient” while all the paperwork was signed that would allow him to push on with the hotel development.
Although initial work had been carried out to make the eyesore more attractive, the firm was dealt a major blow when vandals struck last month.
More than 30 windows were smashed and thousands of pounds worth of damage caused when the culprits broke in.
Joiners working at the property arrived to discover raiders had forced their way in, causing damage inside and out.
