Saltoun Hotel HMO bid worries local resident
A FRASERBURGH man fears plans to develop the Saltoun Arms Hotel into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) which may accommodate foreign workers, homeless people and others could badly affect the town centre.
Mr James Knowles, the former owner of Fraserburgh Computer Care, was notified on Tuesday by Saltoun Hotel owner, Mr Arthur Goff, of a change of use application to turn it into an HMO including a bar and function room. Little more is known about the pending development, but details of the application are expected online today (Thursday) in the planning section of Aberdeenshire Council's website.
Architect Lachlan MacDonald, the agent for the Mr Goff, who also owns the Royal Hotel,confirmed his client had made the change of use application, but told the Herald the alternative would be to leave the building run down.
Meanwhile, Mr Knowles said: "This is going to be the death of Fraserburgh town centre. What tourist would want to go shopping in the town centre if this gets the go-ahead, there won't be anything in the centre except boarded up shops. The wrong type of person could end up living in that accommodation and also within where they're staying is a bar. - It's ridiculous."
A House of Multiple Occupancy is a home where six or more people share accommodation in one building but are not related to each other.
Plans for the Saltoun, which is registered as a listed building, include reinstating its 14 bedrooms into separate living accommodation.
Mr Knowles highlighted the Station Hotel as an example of how HMOs can have a bad effect on the neighbourhood. He insists the hotel is closed a lot of the time now because of trouble by a minority of residents. "The hotel rents out rooms to DSS clients and already the bar has been closed," he added. "The time for change is now. We need young new councillors with fresh ideas who can bring the Broch back to its former glory and not let people who see profit before the people get away with things like this H.M.O. We need people with the attitude of I am here to serve Fraserburgh not Fraserburgh's here to serve me."
Meanwhile, Architect Lachlan MacDonald told the Herald that a "Bad Neighbour Development" advertisement will be published in the Herald shortly, but insists there's been no problem with residents of similar HMOs on Broad Street, such as the one above Zanres chip shop.
"It just seems to be the only viable option for the owner to do this, " Mr Macdonald said. "It was so run down that my client made it wind and watertight. It's either that or it all falls down. We're lacking tourists these days so it is better to have it being used or run down?
"There's such a demand for housing for foreign workers in Fraserburgh this really is the most viable option for my client."
Planning applications for certain categories of proposed development, known as "bad neighbour" developments must be the subject of a public advertisement in the local press. "Bad neighbour" developments include licensed premises, hot food shops, specific leisure-related premises, tall buildings and operations during "unsocial hours'.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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