Residential property given green light to be used as venue for events

Plans to use a residential property in Perthshire as an events venue have been recommended for approval, but only if a noise management plan is submitted and approved and the number of days events are held at the venue are limited.

A proposal has been submitted to Perth and Kinross Council for Auchterarder House to be used as an exclusive rental property for small groups or for hiring for events.

Councillors will vote on the planned change of use when they meet on Tuesday.

The B-listed former hotel sits in extensive grounds just over a mile north-east of Auchterarder.

Two further applications to convert/alter the stables to form an events venue will be brought before councillors for consideration at a later date.

In 2002 planning permission was granted for the 10-bedroomed building to change from a hotel to a private house.

In June 2020 Denholm Partnership Architects submitted plans on behalf of Robert Wiseman to a part change of use from house to a house and events venue.

Likely events to be held would include weddings.

The council’s report of handling states “exclusive use of the house and rental would typically be for two nights, most likely at a weekend and with around 20-30 events per year”.

The report of handling states: “It is accepted that, if uncontrolled, there is potential that residential amenity could be adversely affected, particularly from amplified music if used.”

A noise impact assessment looked at predicted noise levels at noise sensitive properties from amplified music associated to both Auchterarder House and the stables venue.

It is proposed noise from guests arriving, moving about the venue areas and leaving the venue be controlled through a noise management condition.

The council’s environmental health team has also requested restricting the number of days events that can be held at the venue to 30.

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There is potential that residential amenity could be affected

Sir, – In spite of the various crises it has gone through during the past 150 years - such as the two world wars and the Great Depression – the UK economy has shown an average annual growth of 1.8%.

We grow richer because human ingenuity produces innovations which raise productivity and enable us to buy things more cheaply.

The recent financial crisis and pandemic are the periodic shocks we should expect.

The financial crisis provided a shake-up of capital and resources; the pandemic accelerated trends already evident such as online sales and those working from home.

Some city centre premises will reopen; others will be converted to meet the housing shortage caused by our

planning laws. The notion that we have passed our ‘peak wealth’, leaving our children to be poorer than ourselves, is another gloomy prophecy from misanthropic Malthusians. Economies will adjust and wealth will continue to be created.

This tiresome climate fad with its incoherent “green deals” will pass and humanity will continue to be better off in the future than it was in the past.

Dr John Cameron. Howard Place, St Andrews.