The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.
MAN'S FIGHT TO SAVE HOME IN MEMORY OF PARENTS
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.
