Aviva wants to create a training centre in Perth that it says could bring £1.3m to the local economy.
The insurance giant has applied for alterations to level 3 – the east wing – of its listed headquarters in Pitheavlis.
This would enable a training centre to develop around 3,400 leaders over the next few years, starting August 2025.
“The facility is intended to bring together Aviva employees from around the world and showcase their flagship Scottish site,” a supporting statement says.
Aviva expects the facility to host 100 people weekly for 40 weeks a year.
Each year, attendees would spend £1m on overnight accommodation and £300,000 on dining, claims the statement.
It adds: “The space intended for the training centre is currently vacant and has been advertised as rental office space for some time.”
The proposal is to install several new floor-to-ceiling partition walls on the floor.
Perth and Kinross Councill will decide the application.
Masonic lodge in Perth city centre set to become townhouse
The masonic lodge in Perth city centre has been sold to a man who wants to turn it into a home.
Craig Cross has purchased the A-listed Georgian townhouse on Atholl Crescent.
The 1790s property has hosted the masonic temple for Freemasons’ Lodge Scoon & Perth No 3 since 1932.
This temple, at the rear of the property, will be retained for meetings.
Formed in 1658, the group currently has around 60 members.
David Robertson, its secretary, told The Courier: “The new owner, who isn’t a mason, has graciously agreed that we can continue to hold our 16 meetings a year at the masonic temple inside his home.
“The house is also used for social events, which we will now hold at local pubs.”
Mr Cross seeks listed building consent to convert the building into a townhouse.
This includes making changes to the kitchen and windows.
His supporting statement says: “In returning the property to a residential use, this will reinstate the original purpose of the townhouse, while maintaining the lodge building to the rear, which the new owner wishes to retain as a space for entertaining guests and displaying artwork.
“The sensitive approach to conversion will respect the history of the property whilst providing a new high-quality home.”
The Courier gave readers a look inside the masonic lodge when it was put on the market in May last year.
Oudenarde community cabins may stay longer
A village group has applied for its community hub to remain “for the longest feasible duration”.
The Almond and Earn Action Partnership says the facility in Oudenarde, near Bridge of Earn, has been a resounding success since it opened in 2019.
It has now applied to renew the temporary permissions on its two cabins on Clayton Road.
The partnership’s cover letter says: “We seek to now apply for a single linked temporary planning consent for the longest feasible duration due to the success of the project and its positive contribution to the community.
“The building provides a much-needed community space for residents of Oudenarde and its surrounding area, providing a safe, accessible and inclusive space for community groups to gather and meet for discussion on local issues and events.
“Recent events held within the community cabin have been breast-feeding support groups, mobile library, children’s parties and book clubs etc demonstrating diverse user groups.”
Councillor David Illingworth said: “The cabin has been an amazing catalyst for community action in Oudenarde.”
The community hub originally opened as a single cabin in October 2019.
It was equipped with a kitchen, crockery and chairs all of which were donated.
A five-year planning permission for the cabin was retrospectively granted in March 2020.
In January 2024, an additional cabin was given temporary consent.
Both permissions expired on March 31.
Perth and Kinross Council will determine the latest planning application.
Former Bridgend shop could be replaced with flats
A former shop in Bridgend could be demolished and replaced with four flats.
Hermione’s Edge Wear sold ice skating clothes and accessories from Main Street until its move to Earl’s Dykes, near Perth railway station, in 2017.
Cathy Southerton has applied to remove the former shop and a disused garage next door.
Her supporting statement says: “In its place, a new three-storey structure is to be erected creating up to four new flatted properties.
“These properties would likely be one and two-bedroom spaces.”
It adds the design would be based on nearby buildings, “with vertically oriented windows, a partially rendered wall finish and a slate roof.”
Consultation on the proposal ends on April 15.
Dunkeld couple told to tear out replacement windows for being ‘too thick’
A Dunkeld couple have been ordered to tear out their replacement double-glazed windows for being “too thick”.
Alan and Loraine Thomson purchased their home in Perth Road, Birnam almost 27 years ago, and have lived there with their children and now grandchildren.
In October 2023, the Thomsons replaced the property’s original timber windows, which were “in a poor state of repair”, with double-glazed, UPVC alternatives.
They also got rid of the original windows’ sash horns and replaced a sliding opening mechanism with a tilt-and-turn fit.
But the council issued an enforcement notice, citing harm caused in a conservation area.
This was countered by a planning application from the couple.
In January this year, councillors from the Perth and Kinross Local Review Body (PKLRB) backed officers and refused the scheme.
In their decision, councillors cited “the thickness and profile of the replacement windows and the different opening mechanism.”
Now the Thomsons have lodged an appeal with the Scottish Government.
The couple argue in their appeal statement they have been “singled out” by the council.
Here are the links to the planning/appeal papers for the Perth and Kinross applications
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