Derelict Lanarkshire castle Garrion Tower to be turned into luxury hotel and wedding venue

Permission has been granted to turn a historic Lanarkshire castle into a luxury hotel and wedding venue after several years on the Buildings at Risk register.

Garrion Tower, near Wishaw, was bought by Nicole Rudder for £250,000 in 2022 after the local entrepreneur was sent a listing for the B-listed property as a joke.

The 19-room building was facing an uncertain future after being boarded up in 2008 and added to Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register in 2018.

After plans to demolish the castle were rejected, it was eventually put up for sale in 2020 before being saved by Ms Rudder.

North Lanarkshire Council has now given the green light for a major transformation of the building to go-ahead.

Garrion Tower development by Block Architects Block Architects/Garrion Tower

The project to bring the castle back to life has been described as a “labour of love” for the businesswoman who hopes to welcome guests by 2025.

The hotel will feature nine “luxurious bedrooms”, a champagne salon and fine dining restaurant.

Permission has been granted to build two new extensions on either side of the main house to provide additional accommodation and a function hall.

Nicole Rudder said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to announce planning permission has been approved by North Lanarkshire Council for our renovation of Garrion Tower.

“This has been a labour of love for me and the team and everyone worked around the clock to get the initial planning submission done last year.

“Now we have received the amazing news the authorities have approved our vision for the restoration of this historic building and we couldn’t be happier.

“I’m over the moon and although it has been a really emotional journey to get us to this point we’re all delighted to get this over the line.

“I’d like to thank project manager Laura Aird for her incredible work, she works tirelessly and has a real passion for the Garrion Tower.

Block Architects/Garrion Tower Block Architects/Garrion Tower

“Kenny, Bruce and Kylie at Block Architects have given us so much guidance from the moment we appointed them and my in-house marketing team has gone above and beyond to help keep everyone informed about our amazing adventure.

“Thanks to North Lanarkshire Council for believing in our project and finally thanks to the local community for your continued support.

“We’ve received so much positive feedback from people in the local area and had so many offers of help from local companies and it means so much to us all.

“It’s all systems go for our beloved project and now our journey really begins.”