Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘We haven’t thrown the towel in yet’: Last-ditch bid to save Edzell’s Inglis Court

Inveresk Community Council chairman Gus Leighton addresses the Inglis Court protest. Picture: Steve MacDougall/DCT Media.

Defiant Edzell villagers are considering a last throw of the dice in their efforts to save local sheltered housing.

But they admit the Inglis Court campaign may take expertise and time they do not have.

In November, Angus councillors agreed the £3.5 million plan to replace the 24-flat complex with 21 new affordable homes.

The project has been on the cards since 2018.

Edzell
It was the second open-air protest meeting at Inglis Court. Picture: Steve MacDougall/DCT Media.

But it was delayed after strong representations from the local community.

A second public protest against the planned demolition and redevelopment of the site was held at the weekend.

Now, a community asset transfer of Inglis Court could be pursued as a last resort.

Campaigners hope the complex could be returned to sheltered or retirement homes and managed by a housing association.

Villagers braved Storm Arwen aftermath

Inveresk Community Council chairman Gus Leighton led the open-air meeting at the complex.

“There was quite a turnout – about 100 people,” he said.

“And considering the way the weather situation had affected the village and the area around Edzell I think that was another pretty strong show of support.

“There is still such a strong feeling of frustration around this whole situation.

Inglis Court
Protesters at Inglis Court. Picture: Steve MacDougall/DCT Media.

“Basically, the last resort would be to go for a community asset transfer.

“But I told the event that’s not a one-man job.

“If we want to take this further it would involve having at least four local officers and as many ordinary members as possible.

“It would require a robust business plan.

“And either we would run it, or a housing association would run it in concert with us.

Edzell
Around 100 locals turned out for the Inglis Court meeting. Picture: Steve MacDougall/DCT Media.

“We would also have to prove other community benefits,” he said.

“But these are things that would require a great deal of expertise.

“This is what has been put out to the community.

“But I have no idea if the idea is even something that would be considered by the council.”

He added: “To be honest, my expectations on this are rock bottom.

“We were probably naïve in thinking that showing the community was dead against this whole idea through various forms, including raising a petition, would make a difference.

“All it’s done is slow things down but the council had made up its mind what was going to happen.

“I have very little expectation of getting anywhere.

“But we haven’t completely thrown the towel in yet.”

Angus Council is yet to confirm if a demolition date has been scheduled for Inglis Court.