Fire-hit Aberdeenshire hotel reopening pushed back to 2017

13 July 2016 by Katherine Price

An historic Victorian hotel in Aberdeenshire that suffered serious damage in a fire in 2015 is not expected to reopen until the winter.

On 20 February 2015, the 127-year-old Darroch Learg hotel in Ballater was destroyed in a fire that broke out on its second floor. The hotel, owned by Nigel and Fiona Franks, was empty at the time as it was undergoing refurbishment work. The Franks suffered another blow just a few months later when Ballater's old Royal Station was also lost to a fire, destroying their Station Restaurant with it.

The hotel was originally expected to reopen this spring, but reconstruction is taking longer than expected and it is now not anticipated to open until early 2017, according to https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeenshire/972987/fire-hit-aberdeenshire-hotel-now-on-track-for-winter-reopening/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">The Press and Journal.

The hotel's roof was recently reinstated, while its original woodwork, ground floor doors and furniture have been salvaged. Improvements including enlarged bathrooms, insulation, double glazing and a lift will be incorporated into the reconstruction.

Nigel Franks, whose family have owned the Darroch Learg hotel for 55 years, told ThePress and Journal: "It is coming on but there is still quite a lot to do. There is other work that needs to be done. Most of the internal work needs done. We are having to get things up to building regulations, it is taking a bit longer."

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