Westhill guest house to transformed into family home

Kirkside Guesthouse will be converted back to a family home.

Graeme and Sandra Henderson applied to Aberdeenshire Council to change the use of Kirkside Guesthouse on Old Skene Road.

The seven-bedroom property was previously a house before it was converted into tourist accommodation in 2000.

Mr and Mrs Henderson, who currently own and run the business, wish to sell the property and retire.

The couple’s application went before the Garioch area committee last week.

Members were told the property has been on the market for almost two years and the price has dropped twice.

While there had been some interest with viewings, no offers have been made.

Feedback from prospective buyers revealed the building’s use as a guest house was the main reason for not moving ahead with purchase.

The proposal went before the committee for members to consider issues relating to the council’s tourism policy.

As the guest house was classed as a tourist facility, its owners needed to prove that the site had been unsuccessfully marketed for 12 months.

They also needed to show that the business itself was no longer viable, however this had not been provided.

Kirkside Guesthouse still operates but its guests are mostly contractors in the oil and gas industry.

It was also noted that a number of other guest houses are operating in the Westhill area and there are also larger hotels nearby including the Holiday Inn and Premier Inn.

Council planners believed the proposal was an acceptable departure from policy and recommended it be granted.

Westhill and District councillor Ron McKail gave his support: “They’ve been trying to sell the property for the last couple of years and it has been marketed for about a year which meets conditions. It won’t have a detrimental affect on the area and other accommodation is available.”

Fellow ward member Fatima Joji agreed saying she couldn’t see any issue with the application being granted.

The committee unanimously granted the plan.