Flats plan for former Banff furniture store
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Plans have been lodged to convert a former Banff furniture store into flats.
Development company Mantell Ritchie acting on behalf of applicant Andrew Buchan are seeking to transform the vacant Cruickshanks shop into 13 new homes and a much smaller street facing retail unit.
Documents submitted as part of the planning application explain that the retail premises were accessed off both the HighStreet and with a side access door from Strait Path.
It explains: "The retail premises was quite large and with the current trend for smaller retail units the proposals are to reduce the floor area of the retail area and convert the remainder to flatted accommodation.
"The retail premises will still be from High Street, so will not entail the loss of a commercial building in the Town Centre.
"The conversion will entail the removal of the asbestos sheeted pitched roof and creation of an additional floor of flats.
"The property will be re-roofed with a flat roof with sloping sections on the north,south and east elevations.
"The converted building has been designed so that it will not be as high as the existing building."
The business, was previously owned by the Brodie family, who ran premises in Huntly, Banff and Buckie and shut up shop in 2018 when owner Michael Brodie retired and his son did not want to take on the company.
The Cruickshanks units, which together span around 28,000sqft, are being marketed for a combined £600,000 and will be sold either individually or together.
Owner Michael Brodie had already retired but he told local newspaper The Press and Journal that his son Andrew, who has been running the business since, now wants a change.
