Banchory Lodge Caravan Park is demolishing a house to make way for more Deeside tourists, the new owner of a £1.2 million Aberdeen mansion has unveiled home improvement plans and a historic gate lodge at Inverurie is in line for a refurbishment. All these and more feature in this week’s Planning Ahead, our weekly round-up of the latest proposals being pondered across the north-east. Every week we bring readers a selection of the most interesting applications submitted to our councils to form changes big and small in our communities. But first, let’s celebrate our recent warm weather with some appropriately refreshing plans… Anyone for ice cream? It may have taken its time getting here, but summer has finally arrived in the north-east over the past week or so. And what better way to celebrate than with an ice cream? Building papers reveal plans to turn an empty unit at 230 Holburn Street in Aberdeen into a new parlour and coffee shop. The site had been put up for sale for offers of more than £40,000. These new plans have been put forward by Harish Maliekkal. 230 Holburn Street had been the home of Deeside Cleaners for years, before being turned into a barber shop latterly. The store is just along from the Sera Mediterranean restaurant and New York Pizza, and across from a former Co-op which could soon become a cake shop.
Let there be light at historic Marischal College quad
As the home of Aberdeen City Council, some might argue that Marischal College isn’t all that often associated with bright ideas. However, one illuminating concept for the building has now been given the green light by historians. Officials plan to brighten up the quadrangle at the heart of the A-listed venue with 11 floodlights. Nine would be within the four towers, with two on the roof of the building. Historians have now given the plans their backing, saying they wouldn’t adversely affect the famous granite landmark. It comes after we revealed that pesky seagulls are causing problems at the site by clogging up guttering.
Popworld plans to dazzle fans at new Aberdeen venue
Marischal College isn’t the only city centre building to be getting a bit of a glow-up… The beloved Exodus club is getting a 90s makeover as it becomes a Popworld venue. Now, the owners have lodged plans for some changes to the exterior as they look to refurbish and reopen the place as soon as possible. They want to install two illuminated lanterns at the doorway on Belmont Street, along with 12 floodlights all around the A-listed building. Meanwhile, new window vinyls will be plastered over the panes showcasing Popworld’s colourful logo. The plans have been put forward by pub kingpins the Stonegate Group, who already owned Triplekirks and also run the Popworld chain. Popworld describes itself as “cheese with style”, specialising in guilty pleasures and chart toppers from across the decades.
Kitchen upgrades at £1.2m Aberdeen mansion
The huge home at 15 Rubislaw Den North in Aberdeen’s plush west end sold for a whopping £1.21 million in April. Now the new owner, Monrea Watt, is seeking permission for a few internal changes at the listed property. She wants to remove a utility room to make way for a bigger kitchen, while turning the adjoining sitting room into a dining room. The property, also known as Glenburn Lodge, dates back to 1929. Rubislaw Den North is known as Aberdeen’s “Millionaire’s Row”. A few weeks ago, Planning Ahead covered proposals for the nearby Braco Lodge, at number 11, after its sale for £1.3m.
Lodge at Keithhall House in line for revamp
The Keithhall Estate, on the outskirts of Inverurie, dates back to 1663 when the land was taken over by the 1st Earl of Kintore. The main building, once known as Caskieben Castle, was renamed Keithhall House around that time. It was converted to 14 houses and flats in the 1980s. Various other buildings have been added to the Donside expanse over time, amid the woodland, parkland and grand walled garden. Three gate lodges were built at entrances to the estate in the 1800s. And the last of these, the North Lodge designed by Aberdeen architect William Ramage and erected in 1854, is at the heart of freshly formed revamp plans.
‘Gate lodges build to show off how rich landowners were’
Owners Jack Leonard and Cheryl Rogerson now want to spruce up the C-listed building. Conservation architect Deborah Anderson has
