One of Ayrshire’s top hotels and wedding venues is in line for a major revamp, under the new owners.
Ayrshire Live can reveal that plans have been unveiled to expand and improve the offering at the Brig o’ Doon House Hotel, in Alloway.
The new owners, Robert and Vivien Kyle, the husband and wife team behind the Cumnock-based RAD Hotel Group, have submitted plans to build an extension onto the 19th Century hotel.
The plans include:
- expanding the restaurant with a ‘wraparound’ feature to consolidate it into one space
- expanding the wedding venue with the addition of a new honeymoon suite with guest accommodation
- extending the pre-dinner drinks area towards the garden- with access to an outdoor balcony and to the gardens
- improved disabled access to all floors
- an additional 14 parking spaces at the nearby Kirkgate, to cater for larger wedding/bridal parties
It’s unclear how much the plans will cost, but it’s expected to be a significant outlay.
Acting on the Kyle family’s behalf are Edesign Architecture and Planning.
In their design statement the agents talk of a “major revamp” of the current facilities on offer.
The statement says: “The Brig o’ Doon, although an extremely popular choice for those getting married, was quickly approaching the point of an immediate major upgrade to allow the venue to continue and function practically as a local favourite for weddings.
“The RAD Group quickly highlighted the predominant areas of improvement required.”
The statement goes on: “The ability to bring a building steeped in tradition and positioned within a constrained site is a significant challenge and therefore a simple, sympathetic approach to design is considered the most suitable approach.”
The proposed extension will be wrapped in a deck, providing an “outdoor entertainment space” connecting with the garden and river.
The statement adds: “The proposals laid out respond to a genuine need to improve the usage of the Brig o’ Doon Hotel to ensure that the building is fit for purpose to satisfy modern venue use requirements and continuing an Ayrshire hospitality tradition, already spanning almost 200 years.
“This proposed, unique and sustainable design responds to the existing vernacular and considers the heritage and natural beauty of its surroundings, whilst providing vital additional space to meet the practical and commercial needs of the hotel and ensuring the building is safeguarded for future generations to enjoy.”
It’s the third hotel in Ayrshire in recent weeks to announce major refurbishments.
Ayrshire Live previously told how plans to enhance the dining offering at the Lochgreen House Hotel, in Troon, were approved.
Business tycoon Bill Costley, who sold the Brig o’Doon Hotel to the RAD Group last year, submitted a planning application to South Ayrshire Council, seeking permission to build a new garden room extension at his five-star venue.
And in January, we told how The Carlton Hotel, in Prestwick’s Ayr Road, was given approval to build a new honeymoon suite - complete with a private balcony, pergola and three new bedrooms.
The hotel is also owned by the RAD Group and their plans were approved by South Ayrshire Council.
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