Marcliffe Hotel in Aberdeen being bought by housebuilder Stewart Milne

The Marcliffe is a five-star hotel

Aberdeen's iconic Marcliffe Hotel is being bought over by housebuilder Stewart Milne in a bid to turn the site into luxury homes, BBC Scotland can reveal.

The five-star hotel - a popular venue for wedding receptions and functions - has been at its North Deeside Road venue since 1993.

It was sold to developers.

It is understood those plans will now be officially withdrawn, and that Mr Milne wants to build executive homes.

The owner, Stewart Spence, is retiring, and had sold the site to developers who wanted to demolish the existing building.

They lodged plans with Aberdeen City Council for offices, alongside a standalone restaurant and spa.

In a statement, Stewart Milne Group later confirmed it had now "acquired an option to buy the land" on which the hotel stands.

The statement said: "The five-star housebuilder believes that the site is ideally suited for premium residential homes to complement the local area and help to address the shortfall in executive homes within the city.

"The Group will be consulting with the city council and engaging with the local community before any proposals are developed."

The sale would be subject to planning conditions.