An overwhelming vote for a housing-only option has decided the future of a fire-ravaged Carnoustie High Street shop unit.
Angus councillors came down 23 to two in favour of the scheme to go for a housing conversion alone at No 18, a former laundrette and greengrocers. which has lain empty since being wrecked in a spectacular blaze last year.
The decision was made at what one councillor said was “a minute to midnight” in terms of unlocking a £200,000 Government grant to assist with the conversion to four affordable homes.
But it has also been arrived at in the face of a community poll, which delivered a response of more than 80% in favour of a shop being retained below the flats, and a message from a leading community figure that every independent on the High Street did not want to see a retail unit lost.
Carnoustie Development Group chairman Peter Burke made a last-ditch plea to the meeting of the full council not to get rid of the shop.
He claimed consultation on the plans had been “limited in the extreme”.
“I went into 23 independent retailers to ask what they wanted 23 said shops and flats, none said flats only,” Mr Burke said.
Carnoustie councillor Bill Bowles, who led the fight for the shops/flats option, said: “This whole episode is not something which we as a council should ever have become involved in.
“The report here is poor and biased, and if we get this wrong and lose the shops they will be gone forever.”
Communities convener Donald Morrison said significant effort had been made to try to bring a private developer into the project but, with that having floundered, it was imperative the council signed off the project within four weeks to secure the Scottish Government grant.
An alternative proposal put forward by Mr Bowles, which included the use of £70,000 of council contingency fund cash, was condemned as “the economics of the madhouse” by finance convener Alex King.
Angus Provost Helen Oswald said she regretted having to go for the flats-only option, but added: “We can have four flats with guaranteed tenants tomorrow. Bring along a guaranteed tenant for the shop unit and I might have had a different view on it, but we do not have that.”