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.

Fears Glenisla Hotel could be forced to close due to ‘confusing’ road signs

Angus Council is being sued for alleged loss of earnings.

Owners Bryan and Isobel Webster
Owners Bryan and Isobel Webster. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

The owner of a Perthshire hotel fears lack of business due to poor signage during six months of roadworks could force her to close her business for good.

Isobel Webster, who owns the Glenisla Hotel at Kirkton of Glenisla, says road closure signs erected by Angus Council for most of this year have had a devastating effect on trade at the hotel.

She is now suing the council on behalf of the hotel for alleged loss of earnings and fears that if no recompense is forthcoming she will be forced to close the hotel.

The signs have now been removed, with the roadworks due to be completed by the end of July.

But Google Maps still indicates that the road to Glenisla and the hotel are closed at Brewlands Hall.

Road closed signs led to ‘massive downturn in trade’

Isobel said: “The signs saying the road to Glenisla, and therefore to the hotel, was closed undoubtedly had a huge effect on our business.

“Many people heading to the glen believed they could not continue with their journey and this, in turn, meant people weren’t coming to the hotel – leading to a massive downturn in trade.

glenisla hotel concerns
Glenisla Hotel. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

“We have heard from many people that potential customers and guests assumed they couldn’t access the hotel, whereas they could have.

“Many people do not get phone signal coverage in this area, so often phoning to check is not possible.

“We ended up with so little trade that we closed two extra days a week at the start of the year and only opened on weekends for January.

“Then the road closure signs went away and we thought we were up and running again but the problem remains because, according to Google Maps the road remains closed.

“This has been pointed out to Angus Council but still nothing has been done to rectify this.”

Fears Glenisla Hotel forced to close if no compensation paid

Isobel added: “I am seeking compensation from Angus Council and if none is forthcoming I genuinely fear  I will have no option other than to close the hotel.

“I have had such a loss of revenue I will not be able to continue trading.”

Glenisla hotel closure fears
Some of the signs that caused concern. Image: Isobel Webster
Glenisla hotel closure fears
Isobel says business open as usual signs were hidden. Image: Isobel Webster

Isobel added that while she was delighted the roadworks were carried out, her issue was around the council’s confusing and unclear road signage.

She said; “There were business open as usual signs – but these were not clear and hidden behind other signs.

“We need immediate action if anything is to be salvaged.”

A spokesperson for Angus Council said: “The council is in direct communication with Glenisla Hotel and providing advice on relevant matters.

“We are unable to comment further at this time.”

Conversation