PLANS have been unveiled for a 15th century castle in Scotland to be converted into a hotel – by a Warrington family.

Applications for planning permission and listed building consent for Kilberry Castle in Argyll have been submitted to Argyll and Bute Council by Matthew Jarrett, from Warrington.

The plans include internal alterations to form bedroom suites and a spa area, as well as the building of a replacement conservatory including a new raised terrace.

The castle was on the market for £600,000 last year.

A statement by Edinburgh-based planning agents GLM said: “Having taken the castle from 500 years in the same family, and understood the weight of responsibility that comes with a building with this much heritage, we have considered the past and how that will play a part in the future.

“Of course, the future encompasses a change of use and the installation of some more modern features such as running hot water and a central heating system.

“The building has been well designed and has proven to be capable of looking after itself through great architecture and design, but we know that with careful planning and lifting careful plans off paper and seeing them come to life, the building will start to breathe again. It needs care and attention and it needs to be shared with others.

Warrington Guardian:

“Our initial thought was to run a wedding venue, but we soon realised that this very tranquil, special and secluded piece of the Scottish countryside would make the perfect place as a relaxing retreat for families, where they could get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to enjoy their own piece of paradise.

“When we start work our family will be on site every day to clearly set out the importance of respecting what we have already in place.

“We have discussed lifting floors as individual planks and numbering such and then carefully storing them whilst works are conducted, before carefully and skilfully replacing them with the same type of period fitting that would have been used when they were first laid.

“We want to be as sympathetic as possible to the environment and the outside space too, providing our own home grown vegetables. We want to source local provisions, be that local honey or locally grazed beef and lamb.

“We will serve our guests in a Victorian style orangery where many will appreciate that we have taken the original and existing iron works and lantern roof opening mechanism and built a new glass orangery around the salvaged parts.

“It is also incredibly important to us all that we forge lasting relationships with our community and surrounding neighbours and are committed to sourcing and working with local suppliers and contractors at every possible stage.”

Warrington Guardian:

The statement added: “Coupled with all of the above will be our drive and commitment to provide top level customer service to each and every one of our guests. We will strive for perfection and treat every booking like our first.

“Each bedroom will be carefully named and we have considered ‘Pipers Retreat’ or ‘The Stoke Hole’ as examples of linking the present with the past of Kilberry. Our ethos is that nothing is too much trouble.

“Kilberry Castle will be a very special destination and we hope that we have repeat visitors for years to come. Then the future of Kilberry, it will be in our family. We plan to involve our children, seven in total, and we would like to think that this is the start of generational ownership in the Jarrett family.”

The council is expected to issue a decision by the end of May, and comments can now be submitted via its online planning portal.