Montrose Port Authority has pledged Rossie Island green space will stay after striking a £200,000 deal with Angus Council for the old Inch bowling club.
And the trust port has assured two local businesswomen who operate there that the future is secure.
Angus councillors agreed the sale of the Inch pavilion and bowling green to MPA last month.
The council originally put the site on the market in 2021.
But since it is a common good asset the deal must now get court approval. That could take up to a year.
Popular flower business and coffee stop to remain
In its £201,750 bid, MPA committed to honouring and potentially extending the lease of the pavilion to its current tenants, The Flower Pavilion and Roamer Coffee Company.
The flower business has been in the former bowling pavilion since 2016.
The mobile coffee shop sits in front of the pavilion overlooking the bowling green.
The port’s team has been helping with grass cutting and groundkeeping. It said it would maintain the green space to see it remain well-kept and enjoyable for the community.
And their plans extend further to a wheelchair-accessible toilet block with baby-changing facilities and an awning for shelter.
Montrose Port chief executive Tom Hutchison said: “It’s important to us to let our community know that we plan to maintain and enhance this valuable green space.
“And to ensure that the current tenants, Linda and Donna, have everything they need should the sale be signed off.
Linda Cooper, owner of The Flower Pavilion said: “I was so grateful to learn that after a worrying couple of years, The Flower Pavilion will be able to operate business as usual if the sale to Montrose Port is confirmed.”
Roamer Coffee Co. owner Donna Grove-White added: “I’m pleased to reassure my loyal customers that our delightful hidden gem will be secure, and business will continue as normal.
“Tom has been very open about his plans and has listened to our needs as local businesses in the community.”
The port plans to build new offices on the site, but the deal provoked controversy locally.
Ferryden and Craig Community Council said it was considering a complaint to the Ombudsman over the council’s handling of the sale.
There were fewer than 30 responses to a community consultation, although most opposed the disposal.
Port’s community fund benefit
MPA said that as a trust port it reinvests profits into its infrastructure and local community.
Its community benefit fund has granted £360,000 over the past three years to local charities and initiatives including Montrose Playhouse and Montrose Community Trust.
The port also recently started a renovation project of Customs House.
It will regenerate the historic building and its surrounding area just outside MPA’s North Quay.
MPA’s ambition is to be a major renewables hub on Scotland’s east coast. It is already the operations and maintenance base (O&M) for Scotland’s largest offshore windfarm, Seagreen.
The upcoming Inch Cape offshore wind farm has also chosen Montrose as its O&M hub to further boost the area’s economic and social benefits.
It makes the port a major Montrose employer, directly or indirectly sustaining in the order of 450 full-time jobs. Those generate £13.6m in annual salaries and £25.7m GVA for the local economy.
Conversation