Conservation Architects LDN Partnership, in association with local QS John Pascoe and specialist stonemasons Harper and Allan, were recently commissioned by the Peterhead Development Partnership to carry out a technical study into the potential rebuilding of the former property situated at the corner of 34 Broad Street and 1-3 Rose Street.
Aberdeenshire Council's regeneration team is now seeking the views of the community on what purposes the new building could serve – be it commercial or residential, cultural or educational.
Located in the Peterhead Outstanding Conservation Area, the long vacant and decaying properties were demolished in 2009/10 after Aberdeenshire Council deemed the building to be in a dangerous condition.
The stonework was carefully recorded, salvaged and put into long-term storage.
While the site was subsequently inherited by Sanctuary Housing in 2016, it does not wish to redevelop the premises for themselves.
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The two-storey buildings enjoyed varied tenancies and uses - in 1855 the property at 34 Broad Street served as both a house and banking offices before the latter became a shop in 1884.
The C-listed buildings at 1-3 Rose Street saw use in the 1880s as a house, a hairdresser shop, a store and were also tenanted by a tinsmith.
Dr Nick Brown of Aberdeenshire Council's Regeneration Executive explained: "The objective of the technical study was to determine if it is practical for a future developer to reuse the salvaged stonework being stored by the council.
"The study has now been completed and demonstrates that despite some minor problems with the salvaged stonework, it is still possible to largely reconstruct the exterior of the former building in a productive manner."
The availability of survey drawings and detailed photographs of the former property would provide valuable data for a future developer to reconstruct a building which could be made suitable for commercial, residential, community, cultural or educational use.
Dr Brown said the council was keen to hear suggestions from the wider community about preferred uses for the properties which can be posted to the 'Peterhead: Focusing on the Future' Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Peterheadregeneration/.
Irrespective of the final use, a future action might involve inclusion of the site in a future bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help bridge any viability gap.
Meantime, the Peterhead Development Partnership is presently in collaboration with Sanctuary Housing to execute a temporary art installation upon the hoardings around the site in 2020.
The Peterhead Regeneration Vision and Action Plan 2016-21 is approximately halfway through its adopted period. The Action Plan is taken forward and monitored by the Peterhead Development Partnership (PDP), involving delivery of actions and activities by multiple public sector, business and community organisations.
