4 days ago
- Business
- Press and Journal
Neighbours raise concerns plans to breathe new life into a derelict pub site in Elgin will block their driveways
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, plans to transform a toilet block into a cafe at Cooper Park in Elgin have been approved.
Neighbours have objected to proposals to breathe new life into a derelict pub site in Elgin which has lain empty for almost six years.
And a battery storage facility could be built just outside of Elgin.
But first, we look at the arrival of a dog grooming salon at Threaplands Garden Centre.
Plans have been approved for a dog grooming unit on the site of the Threaplands Garden Centre on the outskirts of Lhanbryde.
The Portakabin-style unit will be behind an existing two-metre fence next to the car park.
Owners of the garden centre have agreed to lease the land solely for this purpose.
Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion is behind the proposals.
Meanwhile, there will be a gate in the fence to access the unit and two dedicated parking spaces for people to arrive to drop off or pick up their pets.
Opening hours will be 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.
The unit will have a small toilet inside for the owner and a wash sink for dog grooming.
The dog owners will not be permitted access to stay in the unit while their dogs are being groomed.
It is hoped clients will also pop into the garden centre to have a browse or a coffee before picking up their pets again.
Now a building warrant has been submitted for £3,000 worth of drainage work to serve the portacabin.
In December 2020, Pooch Pod owner Alison Tewnion opened up her business in her garden shed after being made redundant at Evri.
Since then her business has been a hit.
In 2022, she moved into Moycroft House in Elgin after outgrowing a unit at Pinefield Parade.
She previously told the Press and Journal: 'It never crossed my mind to set up this business as I was so used to my job at the delivery firm.
'However, I love it and I wouldn't change it for the world.'
The British Legion wants to make alterations to improve the Buckie branch's kitchen.
According to a building warrant, the work could cost around £15,000 at the building at 65 High Street.
S Reid Design is representing the British Legion in the process.
Opdenergy UK wants to build a battery storage facility just outside Elgin.
The building is proposed on land near the town's Quarrywood.
It comprises of battery storage units, ancillary buildings and equipment and other works.
Developers estimate the facility could hold 49.9MW, which is enough to power about 9,000 homes for a year.
Planning permission is sought for 30 years.
A rundown toilet block in Elgin's Cooper Park will be given a major makeover.
Moray Council has been given the go-ahead to transform the loos beside the bowling green in the popular park into a cafe.
The proposals are part of the wider regeneration project funded by £18.3m from the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund.
This transformation will include an extension to the building and alterations to turn it into a cafe.
Meanwhile, the facility will also have changing places toilet to support park users.
The cafe will have indoor and outdoor seating with improvements to enhance the toilets and the visitor experience at Cooper Park.
Now detailed design work and broader procurement is expected to be completed by autumn 2025 with construction in early 2026.
In April, we revealed how Springfield Properties wanted to build eight new flats on the former Pinegrove Hotel site in Elgin.
The land has been empty for almost six years.
Each apartment will have an open plan kitchen and living area, two large bedrooms and plenty of storage.
Now four neighbours have objected to the plans.
They say the proposals show the development would block access to their driveways.
One added: 'The plans also close off access to Balado and Avalon by placing a footpath, bin store and car parking spaces across their driveways.
'How will Springfield guarantee access to the four properties mentioned above during the construction phase?'
Another described it as 'not acceptable' with proposals reducing them to what looked to be just a footpath and loss of vehicular access.
Meanwhile, concerns have been raised the communal bins could encourage vermin and gulls leading to environmental issues if not properly maintained.
The Pinegrove Hotel on Pinefield Crescent was a well-known watering hole for locals before it closed down in 1999.
The building played host to countless wedding celebrations and parties over its long history.
The former bar was most recently used as a place of worship by the Elgin Community Church.
Then in 2019 demolition crews moved in and bulldozed the building.
Since then, the land near two takeaways and housing has fallen into disuse.
Today it is overgrown with weeds and is used by some as a dumping ground for rubbish.
