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Ambitious plans to protect historic Mearns village

Ambitious plans to protect historic Mearns village

A historic Mearns village could be afforded conservation status to ensure its protection.

Benholm is a site of great antiquity and houses a restored water mill and historic kirk.

Aberdeenshire Council is seeking the views of residents regarding potential conservation status for the village.

Aberdeenshire has 36 conservation areas varying in character from central Stonehaven to the small coastal settlement of Pennan.

The purpose of a conservation area appraisal is to identify the area’s special features and interest, and to delineate its boundaries.

The appraisal will assist in the active management of the area and also identify priorities for enhancement in the village if conservation status is granted.

Kincardine and Mearns area committee chairman Carl Nelson said: “Benholm is a richly historic Scottish village and has the only surviving traditional water-powered meal mill in Kincardineshire.

“Conservation status for Benholm would ensure the historical architecture and character of the village will be protected and can remain in keeping with its rural surroundings.”

Vice-chairman Peter Bellarby said: “While this area is remote it is important to ensure its protection.

“Conservation area status is a positive step towards an area’s protection, enhancement and management of future development.”

Benholm Conservation Area was proposed and a boundary identified in the Aberdeenshire Local Plan, which was adopted in 2006.

The proposed boundary indicated in the plan was largely confined to the Kirktown, the group of buildings and associated lands around the kirk and kirkyard.

The close historical association and physical proximity of the adjacent mill, along with the cottages across the Birnie Bridge, would suggest that they and the woods, roads and bridges which link them should also be considered for inclusion within the proposed conservation area.

The A-listed Kirk was built in 1832 after an earlier medieval structure was demolished.The graveyard surrounding the church incorporates a variety of 18th and 19th-Century stones.

The mill is the only surviving traditional water-powered meal mill in Aberdeenshire.

It was officially reopened in July 1995 and is now a local heritage visitor and training centre.