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Deja vu despair after Brechin misses out on UK Government Levelling Up millions for second time

Angus Council and Brechin Caledonian Railway will now have to look at other funding sources for a far-reaching tourism and infrastructure project.

Thomas the Tank Engine at Brechin Caledonian Railway. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson
Thomas the Tank Engine at Brechin Caledonian Railway. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson

Brechin has reacted with anger and frustration to seeing its Levelling Up hopes crushed for the second year in succession.

The UK Government announced 55 councils will share almost £1 billion for community and job-boosting projects.

But Angus missed out because it failed to make a bid in 2022.

Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove said it was testament to how many excellent projects were submitted and championed by local MPs and councillors that the third round of funding was awarded within the pool of previously submitted bids.

Last year, Angus councillors refused to back a near £20 million proposal put forward by Brechin Caledonian Railway.

It was scaled back considerably in an 11th hour attempt to take a bid forward.

But council chiefs said the financial risks were too great.

And there is a heightened sense of frustration over the latest announcement since the council is now fully behind the Brechin bid.

Consultants were appointed to work with the railway on the “once in a generation” plans.

A public consultation on the project is due to close within days.

There are almost 50 elements in the proposal:

It includes six key zones:

  • Brechin station development
  • Brechin to Montrose active travel route
  • Caledonian Railway – Reinstatement of line between Bridge of Dun and Montrose
  • Bridge of Dun Station developments
  • Expanding active travel routes around Brechin
  • Active travel routes around Bridge of Dun and Montrose

The majority of those were already in the Caley business case the council failed to back last year.

‘Hugely frustrating’

Railway chairman Jon Gill said: “It’s hard to look at this any other way than it being a massive opportunity lost.

“We were confident of our submission last year, and we remain confident of it now.

“If Angus Council had put a bid in for the second round I think we would have stood a very decent chance.

Caledonian railway chairman Jon Gill
Caley Railway chairman Jon Gill (left) and volunteer Chris Pegg. Image: Supplied

“And if we didn’t get it, then we would have definitely been right there this time.

“We were ready to go last year, but we didn’t get the support.

“It’s hugely frustrating.

“We must now work together to try and get the funding for this to happen.

“There are other funding opportunities so we must go after those.”

Brechin was ‘livid’ over 2022 decision

Brechin Independent councillor Jill Scott said it was impossible not to consider it a case of “what might have been.”

“I’m absolutely gutted by the way this has turned out,” said Ms Scott.

“People in Brechin were livid about this last year – they are still speaking about it now.

“And if the council had got behind the railway and backed them the town would have been waking up to £18m this week – if it hadn’t already got it from 2022 .

“The Caley Railway is a huge success, they know what they want to do and they know how to do it.

“But the council took its eye off the ball last year and left it too late to fully consider what was a really solid proposal.

“And despite getting consultants in to work with the railway I think they’ve probably taken their eye off the ball this year too.

“They had a year to pull things together for the third round of funding.

“We weren’t to know that the money was going to go to projects which just missed out last time round.

“But even if it didn’t, the consultation on this one hasn’t even been completed so they would have struggled to get an application in in time.

Councillor Jill Scott
Brechin councillor Jill Scott. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

“It’s just such a disappointment.

“Brechin was buzzing at the weekend for the Polar Express and that’s going to carry on right until Christmas.

“And although there’s no way anyone could have predicted what was going to happen last month, imagine how much of a boost this would have been to the town after Storm Babet.

“The political parties will blame each other and there’s already fallout about a lot of this money going to Tory areas.

“But that doesn’t help anyone – and it certainly doesn’t help Brechin.

“We missed out because we weren’t even in the game.”

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