Renovation or Aberdeen Victorian folly at risk as ‘enabling’ housing scheme set for rejection

AMBITIOUS proposals to restore one of Aberdeenshire’s most imposing and bizarre follies - a replica of a Grecian temple - may have to be abandoned because of calls by planners for an enabling housing development to be rejected by councillors.

• 9 new houses to accompany restoration of monument to help subsidise renovation

• Planners call for housing scheme to be rejected

The Temple of Theseus was built in the mid 19th Century in the grounds of the Pitfour estate near Mintlaw in Buchan by the Fergusons of Pitfour and once housed a bath pool, reputed to have been used by the pet alligators of one of the lairds of Pitfour.

But the B-listed temple - a scaled down version of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens - is now on the critical list of the Buildings at Risk Register following decades of neglect.

The new owner of the Pitfour estate has lodged plans to spend more than £900,000 restoring the temple to its former glory, as well as three historic bridges around the lake in the grounds of the Pitfour estate, together with an “enabling development” of nine new houses.

The two applications are due to be discussed at a meeting of Aberdeenshire Council’s Buchan area committee on 4 December.

Planners are recommending that the proposals to restore the temple and the three budges should be approved through a delegated grant to the head of planning and building standards.

But, in a major blow, they are also calling on councillors to refuse the separate application for the construction of nine houses on the estate to help subsidise the restoration scheme.

Stephen Archer, the director of infrastructure services, states in his report to the committee: “The estate and its owners have featured heavily in the history of the local area and given rise to feuds such as the one between Pitfour and Aden, resulting in the bridge over the River Ugie that is wider at one side than the other.

“Unfortunately Pitfour, like many large estates, began to suffer and decline in the 20th Century and in 1926 the mansion house was sold and demolished for building stone. Ownership of the estate has changed several times since then and many of the remaining buildings have degraded to such a degree that they feature on the Buildings at Risk Register.

“It is understood that the present owner purchased Pitfour in December 2010 and wishes to ensure it is opened up for the local community and visitors to enjoy. He advises that the estate has had a recent history where public access was not encouraged and this is seen as an opportunity to rectify this.”

But Mr Archer adds: “The planning service wishes to support the vision for Pitfour, but does not believe that such support should be at any cost. There is a very clear policy context for considering enabling development proposals and this proposal as submitted has failed to satisfy any of the necessary criteria.”