Plans to restore Letham Grange Hotel and golf resort to former glory by creating a new village at the Angus resort have been dropped.
Owners of the one-time ‘Augusta of Scotland’ wanted to build hundreds of new homes to fund the hotel’s redevelopment.
They hoped it would see Letham Grange restore the international reputation it enjoyed in its heyday.
But the bid has been sunk by a community backlash after the plans were revealed to locals.
And the Taiwanese Liu family said ploughing a million pounds into a planning application was an “unsustainable risk” they could not take.
They feared the ambitious project would have been doomed to fail in front of planners.
So they have put the large-scale scheme on hold and are considering their next move.
It leaves a major question mark hanging over the future of the estate.
Meanwhile, the Georgian mansion at its heart continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate.
What did the latest Letham Grange proposal involve?
In October 2023 a proposal of application notice (PAN) for Letham Grange was lodged with Angus Council.
It was the latest bid to redevelop the hotel which closed without warning in 2011.
It proposed a “hotel and spa, holiday accommodation, reconfiguration of golf course, golf clubhouse, restaurant, leisure uses, residential development, business enterprises, retail and community facilities.”
Smartwill Investment, part of the Liu family portfolio, is behind the scheme. In 2018, a court handed back the Letham Grange assets to Peter Liu after a 15-year legal fight.
Public consultation events on the new proposals were held in Colliston and Arbroath.
Those revealed proposals for large-scale housing in a ‘village’ setting on the south east corner of the estate.
‘Significant’ opposition in principle to Letham Grange plan
But on Monday the planning agent leading the project revealed the decision to park the proposal.
Robin Holder of Edinburgh-based Holder Planning said: “Over the past few years the owners have been consulting with the local community and Angus Council to find an agreeable way to secure the long-term future of Letham Grange, including consultation events and various discussions.
“Although the vast majority of people we have spoken to agree that some substantial measures need to be taken at considerable cost, we have so far been unable to reach any consensus on how that can be done.
“We have proposed an option for a new sustainable village and other uses which could meet the significant capital cost of restoring Letham Grange to its former glory and creating a major visitor destination of international standing.
“However, it is fair to say that there are a significant number of local people who are sceptical of the proposals and object to such an idea in principle.”
He added: “One can understand the concerns of the local community regarding the prospect of change and how the proposals may or may not come to fruition.
“But the extent of objection to date makes it almost impossible for the owners to confidently invest further in the current plans.
“The cost of preparing all of the detailed information likely to be required for a high quality planning application is estimated at over a million pounds.
The owners say that would be “an unsustainable risk given the possibility of refusal by councillors in the context of local objections”.
Owners admit situation is ‘far from ideal’
“Reluctantly, therefore, the owners have decided to reconsider their options, although these will be quite limited given that there can be no substantive regeneration of Letham Grange without a significant additional source of funding,” added Mr Holder.
“The current situation is therefore acknowledged by the owners as far from ideal but their ability to resolve matters is very hampered.
“They are considering their next steps and look forward to liaising with the community and the council again in due course.”
Conversation