News / New life for old Yell school
YELL’S old secondary school looks set to be given a new lease of life as a combined café, hotel and flats.
Two local entrepreneurs are about to apply for planning permission to convert the large building after a public meeting last weekend saw local people back the project.
Eddie Couper and his partner Hazel Wiggins have been working on the idea for the past six months after moving back to Couper’s native isle two years ago.
The couple have carried out several redevelopments of old properties, including a small scheme of flats and shops in the Aberdeenshire village of Longside, near Mintlaw, which is due to open shortly.
Couper explained the plan was to carry out the conversion in three phases, starting with a café in the school’s former arts department.
Once completed the next phase will involve building five single occupant flats around the perimeter of the building that faces the old car park.
Finally the two storey section looking east out to sea will be where the hotel is created if everything goes according to plan.
The move has been welcomed by local councillor Robert Henderson, who said it will save the local authority around £250,000 demolishing the old school that has lain empty since the new one opened in 2010.
“I hear nothing but support for this, Yell has been crying out for some place you can go to eat and all the other facilities he’s planning to put there,” he said.
“I think it’s a fantastic scheme and I can only wish him all the best with it.”
Henderson said the only place people could go for a cup of tea and a bite was the Old Haa in Burravoe, which only opens occasionally, after the Wind Dog Café in Gutcher closed and Mid Yell’s Hilltop Bar stopped serving food.
Couper said the plans were pretty much completed apart from a few minor details and they will have the application in by the end of the month.
“We’ll start work as soon as the planning gets through, though no money has changed hands yet, even though we’ve spent a lot on this already,” he said.
He added: “I have got to thank the local people for all their support, as well as planning and the roads and education departments and everyone that’s been there supporting it.
“We have had no objections, though we have had a few helpful pieces of advice which we have taken on board. It’s given us a lot of encouragement to go ahead.”
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