Crisp-maker’ s takeaway bid

The Perthshire village of Inchture could be granted a new takeaway facility with public toilets and bike racks, if the plans are approved.

The Taylor family behind Mackie’s Crisps and Taypack potatoes has lodged plans with Perth and Kinross Council to turn a former telephone exchange in the village into a coffee and cake outlet.

As the building and land around it has already been sold to the family, George Taylor, who has submitted the planning application, hopes to turn the “village eyesore” into something that can benefit the community.

Mr Taylor said: “I wanted it initially for one main reason, which is that it is the village eyesore. It’s just as you pass the church on your right. We have four cottages down the end of that road and it’s just a hideous eyesore.

“I think several attempts were made years ago to get planning for a house on that land but it’s not big enough for that. It just sits there, it’s falling apart.

“The telephone exchange came up for sale a good number of years ago, which I know because my father was involved in it. It was in an auction and I think they were selling off all the old telephone exchanges that were obsolete in Scotland.

“So my father went through, I’m guessing about 20 years ago, to an auction in Glasgow and was outbid on the Inchture one by somebody else at that time. But more recently, I was approached by the then owner – I think the daughter of the chap who originally bought it – asking us if we wanted it.”

With his plan to make the derelict structure into a small food and drink takeaway, Mr Taylor and his family also hope to add bike racks and public toilet facilities for the village.

He said: “I got an architect on board and our initial idea was – especially given what we’ve been through in the past 18 months with more people doing takeaways etc – we didn’t think it was a big enough site to have a sort of sit-in cafe but we thought it would be ideal for a conversion for a coffee and cake facility.

“We want to sell really good coffee, on the same level as your Costas or Starbucks.

“We thought that would be quite nice for the village with some outdoor seating and it will also incorporate public toilet facilities.”

BITE-SIZED: George Taylor at the building in Inchture. Picture by Mhairi Edwards.