Muir Group, a social housing company, has submitted outline planning for a £115m housing and leisure development at Blairs College Estate, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The company plans to convert the former seminary school into a hotel and conference centre with an equestrian centre and an18-hole golf course, designed by former Open Champion Paul Lawrie.

Muir Group will preserve the museum at Blairs College, as it contains national artefacts, such as the Mary Queen of Scots’ memorial portrait. The restoration will ensure the collection remains in Aberdeenshire as a tourist attraction.

The project, to be overseen by the Scottish Catholic Heritage Commission, will be funded by a 280-home housing development on surrounding land.

Although the Muir Group’s plan has the support of the Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee, it must now see the scheme through a more elaborate planning process, due to recent changes in procedure which have been introduced as a result of the controversy surrounding the rejection of Donald Trump’s £1bn golf resort at the Menie Estate.

These changes require all major schemes to get planning permission from the full council and the Scottish Government before they can proceed.