Forfar land and property which belongs to the town has been drawn together in a new list of common good due to go out for public consultation.
And the variety of ground and buildings gifted to the community down the centuries has been described as “fascinating”.
Forfar is the latest Angus town to be tackled in series of audits bringing common good registers up to date.
Angus Council is required under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to publish the list.
Policy committee members approved the draft at their latest meeting.
The public will now have a chance to make any comments on the list for the former royal burgh.
How extensive is Forfar’s Common Good?
The draft list stretches to more than 50 titles.
But a number are separate titles for one location, such as those relating to Forfar Loch Country Park.
The common good there includes:
- Forfar Loch itself
- St Margaret’s Inch
- Fishing rights
- Visitor centre
- Lochside caravan park
And it includes the recent addition of the former Lochside leisure centre site.
The Court of Session ordered that the land on which the old leisure centre stood should become part of the common good following a legal dispute over the building’s future.
Other prominent common good assets include the 155-year-old Reid Hall, Boyle Memorial Park on Glamis Road and council buildings at The Cross.
Those include B-listed Town and County Hall, built in 1788.
But there may be some lesser known surprises on the list for Forfarians.
Zoar Field garages off Katharine Street, the Queenswell Road site of Forfar recycling centre, Irish Acre allotments and Balmashanner war memorial all feature.
You can find the full list of common good titles HERE.
Policy committee councillor Ross Greig said: “As a Forfar member I took particular interest in this.
“Quite a lot of it is fascinating reading.
“It’s interesting to see some of the history around buildings you might not appreciate are part of the common good.”
What happens now?
The draft register will be issued for public comment before the final document is published.
An Arbroath list was completed last year.
Further common good audits are being compiled for Brechin, Montrose and Kirriemuir.
The council say: “The existing register for Kirriemuir contains only one common good property and there are no existing registers for either Carnoustie or Monifieth.
“As they are all former burghs, the title deeds require to be checked to ensure that the review currently being progressed is both complete and robust.”
And councillors agreed to extend the contracts of a solicitor and paralegal who are carrying out the projects. It will cost the council more than £45,000.
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