Ardgrain

The planning events at Nether Ardgrain hit the headlines when the below article appeared in the Press and Journal.

www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk 

PLANS AROUND PROTECTED FARMHOUSE ARE THROWN OUT

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.