Plans to move a marquee at King Charles III’s Dumfries House Estate have been approved by East Ayrshire Council.
The marquee was a temporary measure and has sat next to Dumfries House since 2011 to allow for larger events to be catered for.
Now, after plans to create a permanent “future events pavilion” were submitted in November, the marquee is to be dismantled and moved onto a lawn north of Dumfries House.
Council officers granted permission for the marquee to be moved on the condition that it be removed within five years or “as soon as reasonably practicable following the use of the marquee ceasing”.
Originally, plans approved in September 2011 would have seen the marquee’s removal by 2016 but subsequent extensions and alterations were approved by East Ayrshire Council as a “temporary solution to a difficult problem”.
A supporting statement to the application said: “Since the opening to the public of Dumfries House Estate in 2008, The Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust, now The King’s Foundation, has had the aim of using the house and wider estate to help regenerate and boost the local economy.
“Dumfries House has become a significant visitor attraction in the south of Scotland and the various activities on the estate now employ more than 150 people.
“Dumfries House has also become a successful wedding venue. In 2011, following repair and alteration of the house and outbuildings to provide visitor facilities and an improved visitor experience, a temporary marquee was erected to the northeast of the main house, set behind the east wing and pavilion, to allow larger events to be accommodated.
“In spite of its size, Dumfries House has always lacked a large banqueting space. The larger reception rooms, such as the Tapestry Room and Rothesay Room, have occupancy limits which would permit no more than 100 guests at an event. The marquee accommodates upwards of 150 dinner guests and relieves pressure on the house.
“The majority of those employed at Dumfries House are involved in the hospitality sector. Event hosting is vitally important to the survival of all that goes on within Dumfries House Estate and farther afield, where the foundation are leading local regeneration projects and community initiatives.
“Income generated by wedding and corporate event hosting is essential to the day to day running of the estate and the wide range of educational programmes that run throughout the year.
“The local authority and Historic Environment Scotland have acknowledged that the marquee pavilion is a necessary component within the Dumfries House operation. However, it has always been understood that this is a temporary solution to a difficult problem.
“This period of temporary operation will sustain the events business while work is on-going to refine an appropriate design for this complex new building on a very challenging, sensitive site.”
Dumfries House is a Category A-listed building designed and built by Robert Adam in the 1750s.
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