Owner of spectacular Scottish clifftop castle has £3.5m visitor centre vision setback
The owner of a Scottish clifftop castle has been told that his vision for a new £3.5 million visitor centre cannot be supported by planners.
George Pearson, 29, owner of Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven, wants to create the visitor centre with shop, cafe, exhibition space and new 126-space carpark close to the ruined fortress. He also wants to build ten new homes on greenfield land nearby to help bridge a “shortfall” in finance for the project.
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The castle attracts around 100,000 visitors a year, with its dramatic position making it a magnet for photographers, filmmakers and tourists. The site is also hugely popular for those living in the area.
Mr Pearson has argued the project will increase visitor numbers to the area and boost the local economy by a further £1.4m. Planners described a visitor centre as a “welcome development” that would gain support if the plans were submitted without the housing element.
However, a report said planners could not support the overall project given the housing did not meet policy by supporting a commercial development, was on greenfield land, did not include an affordable element or provide a safe route to schools for children living in the new homes.
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Hide AdThe report said: “The overall development cannot be supported. It is fair to say the visitor centre would be a welcome development, enhancing the visitor attraction at Dunnottar Castle and making a positive contribution to the local economy through increased expenditure and job creation in the locale.
“If submitted in isolation, the visitor centre would be supported, as evidenced by the historical pre-application advice given in 2012 and 2015. However, there is no policy justification for housing to enable the commercial development in this location.”
The report said the housing was not well connected to Stonehaven and lacked a safe route to school. The layout of the housing site, which would be accessed from the A92 coast road, was also an issue.
Mr Pearson said including two affordable homes in the ten-house development would “affect the viability of the development”, although a contribution to sports and health facilities would be made, if plans were approved.
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Hide AdMr Pearson is the fifth generation of the Pearson family to own Dunnottar, with his father, Charles, the son of the late 3rd Viscount Cowdray, the owner of Dunecht Estates, which includes the castle in its footprint.
Papers lodged with planners show 70 per cent of the finance for the project would come from the bank, with the remaining 30 per cent funded by Mr Pearson and the sale of the land for housing. The land sale would raise around £480,000 for the project, according to papers.
Dunnottar has witnessed some key moments in Scottish history, with the site having links to the Picts and Vikings with the surviving buildings dating mostly to the 15th and 16th century.
The Honours of Scotland were hidden at the castle from Oliver Cromwell's men during the 17th century. Later home to the powerful Earl Marischals, hereditary royal officeholders, it was forfeited by the Crown after George Keith, 10th Earl Marischal, played a key role in the 1715 Jacobite rising.
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Hide AdThe castle then fell to ruin, with the structure bought by Lord and Lady Cowdray, ancestors of the current owner, in 1919. The planning application will be considered by councillors at the Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee of Aberdeenshire Council on Tuesday.
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