Go-ahead for Lairhillock houses

Full planning permission was agreed today for the conversion of the Lairhillock Lodge to five houses.

The 25-bedroom hotel has been closed since last March due to the business becoming unviable. Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee heard that it had been affected by the downturn in the energy sector, the provision of new hotels in Aberdeen, and the closure of the adjoining Lairhillock Inn a year ago.

Councillors were also told that a planning application had been lodged to demolish the former inn and replace it with five houses. The application has yet to be decided.

Regarding the Lairhillock Lodge, planners advised that there was no realistic prospect of an improvement in its position due the continuing decline in demand which has been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The business had been marketed for a year but attracted no interest.

Accordingly, planners recommended that approval be granted subject to conditions and delegated matters. These included the provision of a safe route to the nearby Lairhillock School. Planning officer Bruce Stewart said they were confident that this can be delivered and would ensure it happens.

The proposals state that one of the five homes will be affordable.

My motion to approve the application was supported unanimously by the committee.

I recalled that I was part of the committee which some years ago had approved the building of the Lairhillock Lodge. Sometimes despite the best efforts such ventures simply don’t succeed.

The illustration is taken from the documents on the council’s website, provided by the applicant: https://upa.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/online-applications/ using the reference APP/2020/1111.

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