Work on a new lifeboat station serving Angus is set to begin next month, following nearly a year of delays.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has confirmed construction is scheduled to start on the Montrose base before the end of May.
The original start date was put back due to months of ongoing negotiations with Scottish Water about the diversion of the sewer system that runs across the Wharf Street site.
Planning permission has already been granted for the project but the RNLI needs approval to turn the building 90 degrees from the layout that was initially proposed.
After the re-routing of the sewers has been completed, work on the station can start.
An RNLI spokeswoman said, “I’m pleased to confirm that work on the initial phase of the building project (building the jetty and pontoon) should commence by the end of May.”
Tenders have been received and it is understood the RNLI is close to appointing a contractor to undertake the work.
The new pontoon and jetty will allow 24-hour access to lifeboat Moonbeam, which will be moored there whatever the state of the tide.Legacy donationThe site for the new station was released by Montrose Port Authority, with a significant contribution towards the cost of construction coming from a £1 million legacy left by Fife couple Hugh and Molly Brown.
Mrs Brown passed away in 2006 and her husband died in 2009, leaving their estate to the charity.
Other legacies, donors and charitable trusts have also provided funding and additional capital has been raised through the RNLI’s own efforts.
The accommodation base, which has stood at Montrose for over 210 years, has become increasingly difficult to access as the port developed around it over the years.
A retail outlet encouraging people to come to the station is included in the design and the RNLI hope the facility will become a new landmark.
In addition to new training facilities, accommodation will include showers, toilets, an office, a garage for the inshore lifeboat and a shop.
Photo Stewart Lloyd-Jones.