By Scott Wright

PUB giant Caledonian Heritable has acquired the staff accommodation building of the former Macdonald Marine Hotel in North Berwick.

Edinburgh-based Caledonian, which is owned by the entrepreneur Kevin Doyle, is redeveloping the property after fending off competition to secure the deal. The sale price was not disclosed, but it was in excess of the £1.353 million asking price said Allied Surveyors Scotland, which brokered the agreement.

The building, which occupies a half-acre plot in the North Berwick’s Dirleton Avenue, spans 9,108 sq ft, with18 bedrooms over four storeys. It was placed on the market in March by AJ Capital Partners, which deemed it surplus to requirements after acquiring the block with its purchase of the Marine from Macdonald Hotels in February 2020.

“Such is the demand for property in North Berwick there was considerable interest from the moment we listed it,” said Allied Surveyor’s director of commercial agency (east), Iain Mercer.

“It led to a highly competitive and, ultimately, successful closing date for our client.”