Comedian Alan Carr has submitted plans to transform part of his Scottish castle estate into a community cafe and shop. The Celebrity Traitors winner bought the 19th-century Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders earlier this year.
The historic property, which has 17 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and eight living rooms, had been on the market for offers over £3.25 million. Now the 50-year-old plans to repurpose several unused buildings within the castle's walled garden.
Planning application details
A planning application submitted to Scottish Borders Council proposes converting the estate's former potting sheds into a community cafe and estate shop. The plans also include public toilets, staff facilities and storage space.
The application marks another step in Carr's efforts to restore the ageing estate and turn it into a working home. Speaking to the BBC after purchasing the property, the comedian said: "Some men when they have a midlife crisis buy a Lamborghini or grow a ponytail, but me - I want my very own castle."
Restoration and heritage impact
Carr's renovation of the Scottish estate is also set to form the basis of a new Disney series. A heritage impact statement supporting the application said there was a long-term commitment to restoring and investing in the walled garden.
It described the potting sheds as being in a "severely derelict state", adding that bringing the buildings back into use and encouraging visitors to the estate would be a "highly positive development". The statement said: "For the portion that is to be converted into a cafe and shop, the dilapidated state means that any intervention is an improvement."
The statement added that the proposals would have minimal impact on the historic significance of the buildings while providing a positive new chapter for the former estate structures. It continued: "The proposal by our client to preserve and convert the potting sheds into a cafe and estate shop is both an appropriate change of use and one which meets all the basic principles of preservation, conservation and long-term sustainability while managing change in historic buildings."
Next steps and recent sale
Before work can begin, the proposals need the backing of Scottish Borders Council, which will make a decision on the application at a later date. Carr has already started making his mark on the estate, with hundreds of unwanted items from the castle recently going under the hammer at a residual sale.
The sale included a number of unusual creations from the Branxton Cement Menagerie, with every item finding a buyer apart from one concrete cow.
