A Carnoustie councillor is threatening to take his own local authority to judicial review over his concerns about a £440,000 high street flats development.
Councillor Bill Bowles’ appeals to halt the plans for four one-bedroom affordable homes and instead retain the derelict premises for retail were defeated at Angus Council in Forfar this week.
Beaten by 23 votes to four, he said he had approached Audit Scotland with a view to taking the matter still further.
Tempers flared in a heated debate over the future of fire-ravaged Carnoustie shops and at one point Mr Bowles questioned the integrity of officials behind a successful application for £200,000 of Scottish Government funding for the flats development.
His remarks were so strong that the Provost Helen Oswald deemed them inappropriate and demanded their withdrawal.
Independent councillor Bowles had argued that the application for government funding had been inaccurate, incomplete and not specific to Carnoustie, or the site in question.
He said he was “astounded” the application claimed the loss of commercial premises would not be detrimental to the area, or the high street and he said there was strong retail interest in the property.
Mr Bowles said: “If this statement had been factual and properly researched, the chances of it being given £200,000 would not have been successful.”
His concerns were partially upheld by the council’s chief executive Richard Stiff.
Mr Bowles argued that if there had been no fire in 2013, a blaze that consumed his own launderette business, retailers would still be operating from the premises.
Despite being aware that such a move could have significant financial consequences, including the loss of the £200,000 grant, he appealed to fellow councillors to halt the development.
He called for a full inquiry into the application and asked for a business case to be put forward for the area.
Councillor Brian Boyd said: “It is disappointing that councillor Bowles thinks he best serves the people of Carnoustie by seeking to re-open this decision.
“He has now been consistent in his failure to support investment in Carnoustie to the tune of £3,363,000.”
He questioned why the adjacent property remained closed if there was such high demand for retail in the area.
Opposing the motion to halt the project, Arbroath councillor Donald Morrison said he could not support another bid to cease building much-needed social housing.
“Returning the grant could jeopardise future social housing funding from Central Government as Angus would be seen as a liability,” he said.