The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Community centre revamp of Perthshire hotel given go-ahead
APProval: Partof the ho tel, built in the Georgian era, will be transformed with the tearing down of partition walls
Part of a disused hotel in Coupar Angus is to be turned into a community hub after officials gave the plans the green light.
A partially completed flat in the former Royal Hotel will be transformed with the tearing down of partition walls.
It will feature a meeting area, a kitchen and a secure archive area.
Perth and Kinross Council originally approved plans to turn the hotel into two flats in 2012.
In a report, planning officials recommended approving the project.
They said: “This planning application seeks to obtain detailed planning permission for the change of use of an existing flat on the ground floor of the Royal Hotel in Coupar Angus to a local community centre.
“The building is both listed, and within the town’s conservation area.
“Some minor works are required to facilitate the proposed use change, but none of the works affect any original (historic) features.
“This report recommends approval of a detailed planning application for the change of use of a flat to a community centre on the ground floor of the Royal Hotel in the centre of Coupar Angus as the development is considered to comply with the relevant provisions of the development plan and there are no material considerations apparent which outweigh the development plan,” they said.
Built in the Georgian era, the former Royal Hotel lies on the High Street in the centre of the town.
It was originally called the Defiance Inn, taking its name from the stagecoach that stopped at the hotel daily on the Edinburgh-Perth-Aberdeen run.