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Top chef unveils plans for Blairgowrie church

The Riverside Church at Blairgowrie
The Riverside Church at Blairgowrie

A landmark Perthshire church which was abandoned by its congregation amid mounting upkeep costs could be transformed into a restaurant.

The 128-year-old Riverside Methodist building at Rattray, on the edge of Blairgowrie, went on the market last year.

Church elders had earlier announced they could no longer afford maintenance for the property, which is well known locally for its sandstone steeple and spectacular stained glass war memorial.

Now, less than six months after the church was offered for sale with a £150,000 guide price, it has been bought by award-winning restaurateur Willie Little.

He has lodged plans with Perth and Kinross Council to convert the building into a restaurant and cocktail bar.

The work will involve a radical revamp of the church interior, creating a dining area with a capacity for about 120 people in the body of the building, as well as a bar at the side entrance.

Mr Little was not available to talk about the proposal, but paperwork lodged with local planners shows the outside of the church will be largely untouched.

A metal mesh which was put in place to safeguard windows from vandals will be replaced by more attractive plastic sheeting. The stained glass installation, which honours the Labour Corps regiment, will remain a feature of the restaurant.

Mr Little has even supplied the council with a sample menu, offering a range of pizzas and seafood dishes including fried fillet of Scrabster haddock and roast monkfish with cauliflower puree.

Planners are expected to rule on Mr Little’s application in the coming weeks and, if all goes to schedule, work could begin later this year.

The council has so far received one objection from a local resident, who argues that a lack of parking could lead to traffic congestion problems.

He has also raised concerns about opening a bar in “a relatively quiet residential area”.

Last year, Mr Little’s Wellmeadow business was named the best restaurant in Scotland’s Business Awards.

The winners were selected by customers who directly voted for their favourite eateries, rather than being picked by a judging panel.

It followed the success of his other business, the Fish in Crieff shop, which was named best independent fishmongers in central Scotland in the Independent Retail Awards.

Mr Little also supports projects led by Blairgowrie High School’s home economics department.

In a statement issued in 2015, the old church’s minister Rev John Butterfield said: “This beautiful building has been the home for Methodist congregations in Blairgowrie and Rattray for over 100 years, but it is now time to move on.”

A large organ was removed from the church and has since been transferred to Seville, Spain.