Waste of space

MORAY Council will not compulsorily purchase prominent derelict properties in Forres despite such a buy in Lossie.

Following news that the local authority is using a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to attempt to buy Brae Lossie, a large detached house on stands on Prospect Terrace overlooking Lossiemouth's East Beach, local Councillor George Alexander has asked the legal department if the same can be done for derelict buildings here.

He said: "I would be very keen for similar moves to be made with the Castlehill Church and other local properties but it is not a straightforward procedure.

"I keep a constant eye on the agricultural hall and auction mart on Tytler Street, the old Tesco site at Caroline Street and Castlehill Church. The owners are struggling to sell them at a profit or they simply do not have the funds to develop them. Some are also guilty of releasing some spurious spin on what their plans are. The council has been trying to communicate with the owner of Castlehill Church for many years with little success."

Brae Lossie is owned by someone in America and had lain derelict for around 20 years before a fire ravished it in 2015. Moray Council has announced intention to make a compulsory purchase, placing the order with Holyrood.

Councillor John Cown (Heldon and Laich, Independent) said: "This will not cost taxpayers a penny as any legal expenses will be covered by the eventual sale. It's very much to be welcomed as this had been an eye sore and a blot on the landscape for a number of years.

"The council's legal team deserve to be commended for sticking with this because the property's owner had been difficult to communicate with."

However, it is highly unlikely the same will be done for the eyesores in Forres.

Cllr Alexander was told by the relevant local authority department responsible for such cases: "The Council maintains a list of derelict properties many of which have complex ownership issues making enforcement action difficult.

"The action taken at Braelossie was to resolve amenity issues caused by the fire damaged. In this case a CPO was sought to enable the building to be marketed and brought back into use. There has been interest shown from third parties in buying the property which reduces the financial risk to the Council. Derelict properties that do not have a market value would expose the Council to financial risk and unrecoverable expenditure if we pursued a CPO."

Cllr Alexander added: "We have never had a planning application on the Tesco site or for Castlehill Church. The old mart site had a consent which was partially implemented but remains extant.

"We wouldn’t want to be pursuing demolition on Castlehill Church or the mart as both are listed buildings and I’m not aware of any reasons why we would, unless they became dangerous."