Bid to demolish Bank House is withdrawn
Plans halted to develop a hotel on the site
A bid to demolish an abandoned Victorian villa in Highland Perthshire has come to a halt after the developers withdrew their planning application.
A planning application to demolish Bank House on Pitlochry’s Atholl Road was withdrawn on Tuesday by applicants Mr and Mrs Maclellan, despite members of the town voicing their support for the plans – according to documents posted on Perth and Kinross Council’s planning portal.
Bank House, which was built in the 1850s, was originally the Commercial Bank of Scotland, and most recently was used as a backpackers’ hostel.
However, the sandstone twostorey building has been derelict and boarded up since 2000.
Since then, a number of failed attempts have been made to create a hotel on the site – including one which looked to create a much larger premises over both Bank House and what was the neighbouring Baker’s Oven unit.
The pair, who run two hospitality businesses in the town including the neighbouring Old Mill Inn, submitted their bid for planning consent and conservation area consent earlier this month, with the aim of eventually creating a fourstar hotel and a new driveway off Bonnethill Road.
The original design statement sent to planning officers at the council said: “The current application is a temporary staging post for a future full planning application, which the new owners of the site, Angus John and Fiona Maclellan, intend to submit next year. The proposal for the new smaller site will be for a new fourstar hotel.
“The applicants are longstanding residents of the area and the proprietors of two successful hospitality businesses in Pitlochry town centre.
“The purpose of the application is to make the site ready for the proposed redevelopment and to eliminate the liability that is the redundant boarded-up building in the town centre. Having not been in use for approximately 17 years, the building is falling into disrepair and has a heavy cost burden in terms of security, insurance and rates.”
The planning application had received a number of letters in support of the mooted demolition.
Danny Cameron said: “This building and the land surrounding it needs to be developed. This development could revitalise the centre of Pitlochry, and needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
Edith Batt from the town added: “The property in question is hardly noticeable when travelling up Atholl Road and I feel it is better for an area like this to be put to good use rather than becoming more of an eyesore as it becomes more and more unsightly over time.”
Support was also voiced on the economic benefit future plans for a hotel on the site could create.
Colin Mackay said: “I am in support of the demolition of the Bank House in Pitlochry old Bank House. It has been an eyesore in the centre of Pitlochry for too long. The application is from a professional couple who’s own successful business is next to this site so they only will want to improve the area and have stated their plans to build a four star hotel in its place, so a big improvement to how it is today.
“The clearing of the self-seeded trees along the side of the burn will help with the overall area’s look to the future and move this site forward into something that has a purpose and will help with employment in a tourist town.”
I am in support of demolition.. it has been an eyesore in the centre of Pitlochry for too long