Shop boss in fight to turn 'decrepit' Ballater building hit by Storm Frank into house as council warns it 'could flood again'
A former antiques shop in the heart of Ballater will be transformed into a home after its owner won a battle against council officials who fear it could end up flooded.
Dasha Mukhina bought the empty C-listed building on Victoria Road three years ago.
The ground floor unit was known for many years as the Gray & Kellas solicitors office and latterly as the Rowan Antiques and Jewellery store.
But the site fell victim to flooding during Storm Frank in 2015, has been left to deteriorate since and now suffers from woodworm and rot.
Ms Mukhina initially wanted to turn the site into a new cafe, but that proposal was axed over complaints the village already had too many of them.
So, she went back to the drawing board and came up with an alternative plan to revamp the building.
An idea to convert the shop into a one-bedroom house was lodged with Aberdeenshire Council back in October, but council planners refused the project earlier this year.
As the building sits in an area of significant flood risk, they argued turning it into a home would create a 'risk to life' in the event of a flood.
But Ms Mukhina appealed against the refusal in a bid to see her proposal come to life.
The application recently went before Aberdeenshire Council's local review body for councillors to consider the case.
Planning documents revealed that the two-storey building would have a bedroom and en-suite bathroom on the first floor.
Meanwhile, an open plan kitchen, living and dining area would feature on the ground floor.
The building owner proposed to add a balcony to the first floor.
The papers had suggested the changes would help to bring the building back into use while ensuring it wouldn't degrade any further.
Councillor Richard Menard wanted to see the refusal overturned to prevent the building from becoming 'even more decrepit and broken'.
But he asked if flooding protection measures could be added in case flooding 'reared its ugly head again'.
This point was also raised by councillor Catherine Victor.
She suggested that Ms Mukhina could install flood doors that have been specially designed to keep water out during storms instead.
The North Kincardine member said: 'I've gone through floods, I know what it's like – you can mitigate it.
'I think we should allow this development but I would suggest they look at putting flood doors on because that would be a good way to prevent water getting in their house.'
Councillors unanimously agreed to overturn the refusal and allowed the change of use.
However, Ms Mukhina has been asked to install timber flood doors to prevent the risk of the site falling victim to future flooding events.
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