Up to 275 jobs could be created in the Mearns after proposals were lodged for a £55 million development at the one-time home of Victorian prime minister William Gladstone, near Fettercairn.
Fasque House.
Proposals to build up to 115 homes, along with supporting commercial enterprises, at the 400-acre Fasque House Estate have been drawn up and submitted for approval with Aberdeenshire Council.
Fasque House Properties managing director Douglas Dick-Reid will find out within the next three months if his plans have been successful.
The development is the brainchild of Mr Dick-Reid, the driving force behind the purchase of the Georgian mansion and surrounding site last July. The plans include a mix of sympathetic new-build houses in keeping with the landscape, steading and stable block conversions to create holiday lets as well as an equestrian centre, farm shop and museum.
The revenue generated from the project would then be ploughed back into the A-listed Fasque House, formerly owned by the family of Gladstone, and the other surrounding buildings that are deemed at risk.
Mr Dick-Reid remains committed to returning Fasque House to its former glory, and has exhausted every avenue of public funding — including a grant from Historic Scotland, that triggered the beginning of the ‘enabling development’ programme.
The jobs would be created through the long-term construction process and from the business spin-offs. The whole project has been estimated at taking between seven and 10 years.
“Our aim has always been to restore Fasque House to make it available for weddings, conferences and other special occasions in keeping with the elegance of the house as intended by the people who built it more than 200 years ago,” said Mr Dick-Reid. “However, financing the restoration has been exceptionally difficult, hence why Fasque House Properties is now seeking relevant approval for the enabling development proposal.”
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