PLANS for four semi-detached houses and six flats at the former gasworks on Cowgate have been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council this week.
The application by Alderman Group is the latest in a series of attempts by developers to find a use for the brownfield site in the old town.
Back in May 2022 Scape Homes lost their planning appeal against Aberdeenshire Council’s refusal of planning permission for a 57-bed care home. Reporter Katrina Rice cited concerns for service vehicle access along the narrow streets and the impact the three and four-storey building would have on its setting within the conservation area.
Then in September 2023, Alderman Group proposed a residential development of four, three-bedroomed semi-detached homes, a one-bedroomed mid-terrace house, and six flats – this application was withdrawn two months later.
Along with a reduced number of housing units, these latest proposals include two EV charging units, a cycle store and communal refuse storage areas with access for roadside collection at both Cowgate and Wallace Wynd.
Full details of the planning application can be found online, along with a facility to comment.
Old maps contained in documents
Planning applications often contain heritage information within their documents – and this one is particularly interesting – a collection of historical maps contained within the preliminary risk assessment documents, starting in part one and continuing in parts two and three, shows how the town has grown and changed over the decades.