An Angus councillor said he cannot believe the site of a former Arbroath hotel remains empty eight years after it was destroyed by fire.
Bob Spink said the empty 1.5 acre site is “like an ulcer” on the green parkland that surrounds it and remains a blight on the attractive western gateway to the town.
A huge early morning fire destroyed the vacant Seaforth Hotel in August 2006 while it was at the centre of controversial redevelopment plans.
The Seaforth had been in operation for more than 50 years and had always prided itself on being a traditional family-run establishment.
Mr Spink said: “Its bleakness is the first sad view that greets visitors when they clear the railway bridge on the western approach to the town.
“The Seaforth in its day may never have been the Ritz but there is not a person in Arbroath that was not aware of its presence or for whom it sparked some memory or other.
“It hosted many a private function, wedding or dinner-dance over the years as well as events like the Burns Club annually and the Rotary Club weekly. Its loss was a tragic blow for the social life of Arbroath but only the memories remain.
“It is almost as if it has been forgotten and after eight years the loss accepted. Not so, for many attempts have been made to find a suitable developer who would see the promise in the site. It is, of course, privately owned which makes things a bit more difficult but I believe we should now be looking at more direct action to take things further.”
Since the Seaforth was reduced to rubble in 2006, there has been a long history of controversy over its potential future use.
Mr Spink said: “It is limited by planning in its potential use and rightly so and it is not ‘anything goes’ to develop the site.
“Arbroath Town Council, when all the land was cleared of buildings on the seaward side of the main road declared that no housing developing would be allowed on this leisure and parkland area. This is what gave us the swathe of open grass from the harbour to the links, a pleasure for both locals and visitors alike to enjoy.
“The constraints put on the site were threefold. Firstly it must be a hotel type development of mixed use. Secondly that it may be developed as a leisure oriented venture.
“If neither of these came forward then the site should be returned to greenfield and remain so until one of the preferred options presents itself.
“Perhaps this last option should be strongly explored to remove the eyesore, for some form of positive action is certainly required.”
Mr Spink said he cannot believe there is not a developer who is unable to see the promise in a hotel right on the edge of what is the largest town in Angus.
“It begs development,” he said.
“The fact is the Seaforth site persists as a blight on the attractive western gateway to the town making a truly negative contribution to all the efforts made by so many people to raise the profile of Arbroath, especially in this area.”