Scone Estates has announced it is drawing up exciting plans to add new attractions to Scone Palace which will see ‘The Crowning Place of Scottish Kings’ open to the public all year round once they are completed.
Chief executive officer Brian Stevenson said in a prepared statement that the plans would see the centuries-old castle’s traditional stables transformed into a new visitor centre with a restaurant and shops, if approved by the local authority.
He said the project would also see the creation of a new adventure play park for children and a new pavilion building as well as further improvements to the palace’s walled garden with new greenhouses and refurbished potting sheds.
Mr Stevenson said all these added extras would “complement” ongoing works in Perth to reopen the former city hall as a new museum featuring the fabled Stone of Destiny acting as its centrepiece.
“The proposals are a very significant step forward in the evolution of the visitor attraction here at Scone Palace, which will allow the facilities to be open all year round,” he said.
“This in turn will complement the new Perth Museum project and the return of the Stone of Scone in 2024.
“It is essential we build capacity in the region and attract more visitors to Perthshire while investing in the preservation of the historic fabric of Scotland.”
Mr Stevenson added draft plans for the proposed improvements to the palace grounds, which will also see existing access and parking rearranged if approved, can be viewed by the public at a drop-in event being held at the Robert Douglas Memorial Institute in Scone on Tuesday, December 13 from 3pm to 8pm.
Following this event Mr Stevenson said the plans will be put on display for a further two days in the Scone Palace Old Servants Hall Coffee Shop from December 16 to December 18.
It is understood a second consultation event will be held in the New Year before a planning application is submitted to Perth and Kinross Council seeking formal consent to make the changes at the palace.
Information on the proposals will also be made available on the Scone Estate website at www.scone-estates.co.uk
Scone Estates said yesterday any questions members of the public may wish to ask concerning the proposals before next month’s consultation event can be emailed to hannah.belford@savills.com
