Fonab Castle
Our Mission
GLM undertook a masterplan exercise for Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa.
GLM were instructed by Fairtree Capital to undertake a masterplan exercise at Fonab Castle Hotel & Spa in 2022. The group had recently purchased Fonab, adding to their collection of hotels in Perthshire which includes Dunkeld House Hotel. The purpose of the masterplan exercise was to explore potential future development opportunities for the hotel and provide mitigation strategies for existing issues affecting the hotel’s operations.
Extensive research work was undertaken by our architectural team to understand the history of the Category B Listed Fonab Castle, this provided information on the site’s significant features including the ancillary buildings and walled garden, and their significance.
Some of the key challenges the hotel was facing included an intrusive parking layout, noise disturbance from the nearby A9, and a lack of office space.
Additionally, there was opportunity to enhance the spa facilities, and the surroundings of the castle, to provide a better guest experience in line with their luxury ambition.
The masterplan was presented to the local authority in the form of a pre-planning application which provided guidance on what would be deemed appropriate and favourable in a future planning application.
GLM provided a comprehensive solution to the client’s brief, including a proposed new accommodation block within the walled garden – offering an alternative room option for guests, and 21 additional bedrooms for the hotel, a designated office space for the hotel management and operations staff, screening to site boundaries to reduce the impact of traffic noise from the A9.
Additionally, the masterplan proposed landscape adaptations that would enhance the experience around and within the castle, the key changes were rerouting vehicles away from the main entrance and replacing tarmac paths for traditional paving.
Our client now has a considered plan for the future of Fonab Castle should they wish to progress with the adaptations and improvements identified in the masterplan exercise.
