Angus Council was left red faced after a plan to demolish a prominent listed council building in Forfar and replace it with a “fun barn” was accidentally posted online.
The B-listed County Buildings in Market Street is home to several Angus Council departments, including planning and economic development staff.
The application, on the official Angus Council planning website, said a decision on the move to demolish the building was pending.
It also stated there had been no objection to the plan from Forfar Community Council or the council’s roads department.
The post was hastily removed after The Courier brought it to the authority’s attention..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Kl0HhhOWK8w
A spokesman for Angus Council said the application had been “erroneously” posted during a training session.
The County Buildings was erected between 1869 and 1871 by James Maitland Wardrop at a cost of £4000.
Wardrop also designed the town’s sheriff court building and Reid Hall, which was extensively fire damaged in 1941 and subsequently rebuilt.
Forfar councillor Lynne Devine said: “County Buildings is part of the landscape of Forfar and it’s a listed building.
“I’ve no idea what a fun barn is but it certainly wouldn’t be situated on that location. This is not a planning application that would be passed.”
The Angus Council spokesman said: “The page was erroneously live during a training session. The page was available very briefly and we apologise for any confusion that occurred as a result of this error.”
County Buildings was closed for six months in 2011 due to major electrical problems, leading to the relocation of 175 Angus Council staff.
Isobella Ross, chairwoman of Forfar Community Council, said she was relieved the application wasn’t genuine.
She said: “I wouldn’t want to see that building demolished it’s part of the history and heritage of the town.”