After the planning applications at Nether Ardgrain became public, the Press and Journal ran a series of articles on the issues surrounding the proposed residential development.
The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.
ANDY PHILIP 08:50 - 08 February 2007
A Rescue package has been put together to save the setting of a protected 16th-century farmhouse built as the seat of a north-east barony. The owners of Nether Ardgrain - a tight-knit cluster of granite buildings near Ellon - hope to preserve the historic site in the face of planned modernisation. They say the rural setting could be damaged if steadings are converted into two houses and a business unit, as proposed by a farmer who owns some of the outbuildings.
Nether Ardgrain is the only farmhouse in Aberdeenshire to be given category A-listed protection by Historic Scotland and is one of just 10 in the country. Politicians have backed farmhouse owners Rae and Ellen Younger in their efforts to hammer out a way of saving the original layout of the site. They offered to invest more than £100,000 to buy farm buildings at the site and begin sympathetic renovation.
The couple said farmer Sandy Low's plans offered a way of rescuing the buildings from ruin but risked jeopardising the nature of Nether Ardgrain. Their offer has been rejected by the farmer's agents ahead of a decision by an Aberdeenshire planning committee, which could allow the radical alterations.
Mr Younger, 28, an engineer, said: "It's been a farm for 500 years. It seems a shame to build houses and a business, creating a cul-de-sac, when there is an alternative." He stressed: "We don't have a problem with the attempts to stop the buildings falling into ruin, but it's a rare site and we hope to keep it like that."
Mr Younger said renovated buildings could then be leased back to keep them as part of a working farm.
The couple moved to Nether Ardgrain 18 months ago after falling in love with its history. It was built by the Kennedys of Kermuck under royal charter in 1528 as the seat of the Barony of Ardgrain. The Kennedys, who also built the now-ruined Ellon Castle, were hereditary constables of Aberdeen. The site is linked to local history dating back to 1413. The house sits in a secluded position close to a single-track road that was once the main Ellon-Fraserburgh route.
Among the buildings is a one-room bothy thought to be the only one of its type in the area.
The category A listing, made in 1971, extends to all associated buildings. The issue of changing the use of the outbuildings was made possible when the site was split in 1982. Aberdeenshire councillors plan to visit the farm before they decide whether to grant permission for the homes and business. Officials have backed the application, which was lodged by Taylor Design, of Ellon.
Council planning official Victoria Moore said: "In this case the proposal is acceptable and ensures the future of these buildings whilst preserving the historic status."
Earlier plans had been rejected for failing to focus on conservation.
Gordon Liberal Democrat MP Malcolm Bruce was one of three politicians to object to the plans. He supported the concerns voiced by Mr and Mrs Younger and said the current plans would lead to the "irreversible loss" of A-listed buildings. North-east MSPs David Davidson and Shiona Baird have also objected.
The application is expected to come before the Formartine area committee in Ellon on February 27.
The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.
ANDY PHILIP 08:50 - 24 February 2007
The son of a tragic couple has spoken of his emotional battle to save a historic house which offers a lasting link to their memory.
Rae Younger, 28, said he was running out of hope to stop planned development of steadings outside his category A-listed home, built in the 16th century as the seat of a north-east barony. With his wife, Ellen, 27, he is trying to save the setting of the home they fell in love with. He said Nether Ardgrain, near Ellon in Aberdeenshire, was "remarkably" similar to the family home he shared with his late parents in the Borders.
They were killed when a lorry hit their car on the M74 in South Lanarkshire in 2002. Mr Younger later hit the headlines for writing to the High Court urging the judge not to send the lorry driver responsible to jail. He bought the historic farmhouse with inheritance money last year and said it was "the only good thing" that could have come from the tragic loss. Mr Younger, an engineer, is now locked in a battle with council planners to stop the owner of protected outbuildings from converting them to homes and a business unit. The application stalled earlier this month but could be decided by councillors next week.
Talking about the emotional bond for the first time, he said: "As soon as I saw the house I knew it was perfect. It looked so alike to my parents' home I knew I had to have it. Everything from the setting to the garden was the same. "My dad had a passion for history and when I was young I used to help him fix the old house up. I knew he would approve of what we're doing here now. We're just getting over the accident and starting to settle. We want to start a family here now and let my children grow up and enjoy the country setting like I did."
He said the proposed development - drawn up by the farmer who owns part of the site - would turn the compact jumble of steadings and a bothy into a busy cul-de-sac. "We don't want to, but we would have to consider putting it back on the market if that happened," he added. "I've tried everything through the official channels and have the support of politicians and Historic Scotland but there seems to be nothing I can do."
His parents, Alan and Celia, were killed when a 40-tonne lorry struck their car in a traffic jam as they travelled to their house at Hightae, near Lockerbie. Mr Younger sen had been headmaster at Dalbeattie Primary School and his wife was a teacher at Elmville Primary in the same village. Their funeral was so well attended that mourners filled the church and nearby village hall where a live video feed had been set up.
Just 18 months ago, Mr Younger jun saw Nether Ardgrain - built in 1528 by local nobility - and decided with his wife it would be the perfect sanctuary for the future. The farm buildings are the only ones in Aberdeenshire to be given the highest level of protection by Historic Scotland. There are only 10 category A-listed farmhouses left in the country. But planning officers at the local authority have backed plans which the couple said would ruin their plan to remain in the home.
Senior politicians, including Malcolm Bruce MP, have written to the council in an attempt to halt the proposals. Mr Younger has tried to buy the entire site and restore it to its former glory.
The applicant, Sandy Low, did offer to sell the buildings at a higher price but indicated he would wait for the results of discussions on Tuesday.
Mr Younger said: "When we took the house, we knew it would be a double-edged sword. "We can't put in double glazing and the heating bills are huge. But equally we thought we'd be protected from this sort of development. "I just cannot understand why the council planners are ignoring their own policies. "It was supposed to be the perfect new start for us and a link to my parents, but that could all change."
The buildings were listed in 1971 but the site was split in two when parts were sold off in 1982, leading to the current issue. Mr Younger is due to give a last-minute plea to councillors on the Formartine area committee at Ellon on Tuesday.
The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.
ANDY PHILIP 08:50 - 28 February 2007
The owners of a protected 16th-century farmhouse were last night celebrating a decision to turn down redevelopment of traditional outbuildings. Rae and Ellen Younger claimed their home's setting, in secluded Aberdeenshire countryside, was under threat from plans to build new homes and a business unit in surrounding steadings.
Nether Ardgrain, near Ellon, is the only remaining farmhouse in the region with category A-listed protection from Historic Scotland and is one of just 10 remaining in the country. Local authority planners backed moves to alter the site in support of a farmer who owns part of the grounds. Aberdeenshire councillors refused the application at a meeting yesterday.
The Nether Ardgrain site was split between two owners in the 1980s, which led to the current conflict of interest. Mr and Mrs Younger own the large house and two steadings, while farmer Sandy Low owns remaining buildings still in agricultural use. The couple mounted a campaign to raise the historic profile of the home and took up the issue with senior politicians.
Mr Younger, 28, had used inheritance money to buy the home following the loss of his parents in a motorway crash. He said he "fell in love" with the house, which displayed a striking resemblance to his former family home in the Borders. He gave a last-minute plea to councillors yesterday, who eventually voted to turn down the farmer's plans and protect the overall farm from development.
Three other presentations were given, including one from Mr Low's Ellon-based architect who last night confirmed an appeal would be lodged with Scottish ministers. Mr Younger, an engineer, said he was pleased with the result and hoped to press ahead with his own plans to buy the entire grounds from the farmer as part of a restoration project.
He said: "This is a site of national and local importance. I have the support of Historic Scotland and several other agencies. Politicians have also supported me to stop the development. "Not only would the plans ruin the overall setting of the farmhouse but it would lead to a loss of privacy for us. "Historic buildings are a finite resource and need to be protected."
Members of the Formartine area committee split over the plans but eventually voted 6-4 to turn down the application. Ythan councillor Alison McInnes urged the committee to reject the plans which she described as overdevelopment. "It's more important to protect the setting of Nether Ardgrain," she said.
Concern was raised that failure to use the opportunity to restore the steadings could lead to their ultimate loss. Councillor Bruce Mair said it was "shallow" to dwell on history as a reason to object to the scheme.
Architect Mike Taylor later said: "We will definitely be appealing this and think we'll get a good report from the council planners. I'm confident we can win an appeal." He added that a second option would be to step up the agricultural use on his client's land to help sustain the business.
Nether Ardgrain was built in 1528 by the same family who erected Ellon Castle, sited around three miles away. It occupies a site close to a single-track lane which once acted as the main Ellon to Fraserburgh road. The house and surrounding buildings were given the highest protection in 1971.
The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.
ANDY PHILIP 08:50 - 10 April 2007
Fresh plans have been tabled in an attempt to redevelop grounds surrounding the only category A-listed farmhouse in Aberdeenshire. The proposals would transform ageing steadings into new houses at 16th century Nether Ardgrain, near Ellon.
The applicant, a local farmer, was refused permission for larger-scale redevelopment earlier this year. The local authority sided with conservationists and objectors following a narrow vote, ruling that the historic setting would be lost under the plans.
Nether Ardgrain was built in 1528 by the same family who erected Ellon Castle about three miles away Taylor Design Services has now drawn up a new application including part demolition of an outbuilding. A tug-of-war over the future of the farm site began because the cluster of buildings are owned by two different families.
The ancient farmhouse, given the highest level of protection by Historic Scotland, was bought by Rae and Ellen Younger just over a year ago. But most of the steadings are in the ownership of farmer Sandy Low, who wants to diversify his business.
In an attempt to halt any change of use, the homeowners have lodged separate plans for listed building consent in an attempt to protect the original setting of the site. Mr Younger, 28, said: "We want to protect the site - we'll just have to start again from square one. "The good thing is that councillors have shown they're concerned about the historic aspect."
Mr Low's agent said last month that the council's original decision had been wrong and vowed to appeal. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.