Coffee giant Starbucks has mounted an appeal bid against Angus Council’s refusal for an outlet on the site of a fire-ravaged Arbroath hotel.
The firm want to build a cafe and drive-thru where the Seaforth stood until it was destroyed in a dramatic blaze in 2006.
An early-morning fire tore through the distinctive art deco building.
It reduced one of the the town’s most famous establishments of its era to a charred shell.
And the gateway Dundee Road site near Arbroath seafront still lies empty almost two decades on.
The site is between Arbroath FC’s Gayfield Park and the popular West Links tourist area.
There have been a number of proposals for the land, but none have progressed.
Policy-breaching proposal
Next week, developers will challenge Angus Council’s rejection of the Starbucks plan.
In September, Mungo Park Ltd and CW Properties were told the cafe and drive-thru bid did not meet planning policy.
Officials say the site is safeguarded for hotel, leisure or tourism use.
“The proposed development would not constitute a design solution which would contribute positively to the character and sense of place in the surrounding area,” they said.
And it did not meet the “aspiration to provide a landmark hotel and/or leisure, tourism or recreation development in an important seafront location.”
But the applicants hope a Starbucks there could be the catalyst for a much-needed lodge-type hotel on the site.
They say their proposal leaves enough space within the site for a 40-bedroom hotel.
Angus development management review committee will consider the appeal next week.
The council sub-committee considers cases including those refused by officials under delegated powers.
Decades of inaction
The Seaforth burned down in August 2006.
Plumes of smoke from the burning hotel were seen from as far as Montrose.
The damage was so severe the building had to be bulldozed.
But it was more than a year later before eyesore piles of rubble on the prominent site were cleared.
There have been repeated calls for redevelopment of the site.
In 2018, hospitality chain Marston’s received the go-ahead for a 24-bedroom hotel.
Plans included a 150-seat restaurant.
And in 2020 the land was earmarked for a filling station, shop and drive thru.
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