Neighbouring residents to oppose Premier Inn plan

Concerned residents question project’s true scale

Concerned residents directly impacted by Premier Inn’s proposed development in Pitlochry believe the developer has misled on the true extent of the 85-bedroom hotel.

In CGI visuals presented during the recent community consultation by Whitbread and on the Premier Inn website, the new building is depicted as being at the height of existing neighbouring buildings on Atholl Road.

Consultation boards also state, ‘the hotel will be a similar height to the existing buildings, limiting the visual impact of the new building.’

However, residents directly behind the proposed development on the site of the current Acarsaid Hotel - which is still trading - said officials were probed at the consultation in October where allegedly it was revealed that the building would instead be a full 2.5m higher than the current Victorian ridge line.

As a result, they believe the Premier Inn, the first building people will see when entering Pitlochry from the south, will be the tallest building at 4 full levels on Atholl Road and considerably taller than its neighbour, The Willows.

Concerned residents say the Premier Inn will be visitors' first impression of Pitlochry when entering from the south

Refining plans

When pressed on this issue on Wednesday, representatives for the developers acknowledged the design shown at the consultation event was taller than the existing Acarsaid hotel, ‘but not by much’.

They also said they did not want to comment on the exact height of the proposed hotel yet, as the design had ’not been finalised’. Final plans, they said, were still being refined to ‘further minimise impact.’

While residents believe the height of the new building has not been adequately explained to the Pitlochry public, they also query the developer’s narrative that the existing Acarsaid Hotel, of traditional Victorian design, will have to be razed to the ground.

Whilst added extensions have arguably detracted from the visual integrity of the property, the original main building is of heritage and architectural importance within the protected conservation area and it is understood Historic Environment Scotland are looking closely at this aspect of the proposal, believing the building to be in sound condition.

Original frontage of the now Acarsaid Hotel, before extensions were added

Built heritage

Whitbread has said that constraints and poor physical condition of the building make it unsuitable for redevelopment as a ‘viable, fit for purpose, modern hotel’.

However, other companies which have recently invested to gain a foothold in Pitlochry’s accommodation sector, such as Apex Hotels, have maintained existing heritage buildings and residents argue that the award-winning Acarsaid Hotel is still trading to good reviews from guests on its booking sites.

At the time of writing, the last three reviews on Booking.com, one of which was from an Australian guest, spoke of the building being ‘very charming’, with pleasant rooms and comfortable public spaces.

“This is not about nimbyism. For us, it is important that the Pitlochry community are provided an accurate picture of the scale and impact of the proposed development.

“At the moment we feel they have been misled by the community consultation. When the formal planning application is submitted, residents only have a brief window during which they can voice their opinions in the process. The outcome will have a lasting impact.

“The consultation boards also referred to the surrounding properties as being hotels, B&Bs and guest houses when the reality is that there are also a lot of family homes with people ranging from ages 3 to 96,” said one of the residents.

Economic questions

Residents have expressed their concerns in full to Pitlochry and Moulin Community Council, with Whitbread expected to table a planning application shortly through Electra Developments Ltd.

Whitbread has said the development will bring £3.7m annually to Perth and Kinross through tourism expenditure, with £1.8m going directly into Pitlochry.

However, residents are questioning the economics. Whitbread has spoken of a lack of branded hotels in the town as being a key attraction of their proposal.

It is on this crux matter that the parties fundamentally disagree.

Residents believe it is the Victorian charm, the quality of the natural and built environment and the very lack of branded hotels which forms the heart of Pitlochry’s attraction, with family-run and independent businesses abounding.

They fear the proposal will detract from the town’s unique selling point, potentially impacting other businesses which rely on visitor spend.

“The messages we hear from visitors is that they like coming to Pitlochry because it doesn’t have all the usual shops and hotels you get elsewhere. People like coming here because they love the Victorian feel and how that has been retained over time. That heritage is vital and, whatever happens, it is important that it is not diluted,” added a concerned resident.

Premier Inn website showing the proposed hotel at roughly the same height as neighbours, The Willows

New visitors

Representatives for Whitbread said that, while the final design was still being refined, ‘the building has been designed to sit comfortably within the established context of Atholl Road and the surrounding buildings.’

Officials also addressed the issue of retaining the original Victorian part of the Acarsaid Hotel within the proposed development, understanding there was some local support for this.

“We carried out detailed structural and accessibility reviews, which concluded the current building is not suitable for redevelopment as a viable, fit-for-purpose hotel with modern amenities that guests would rightly expect.”

On the final point about economics, representatives stated that the project’s ambition was not to compete with existing accommodation provision but to ‘complement’, stating that Premier Inn’s affordable offering would be catering for customers that may otherwise not visit the town.

Their planning application, they say, will make daylight, noise, transport and heritage assessments publicly available.

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