Affordable homes to replace Edzell retirement flats

Angus Council has pressed on with its plan to demolish a former sheltered housing complex in Edzell and replace it with 21 new affordable homes.Inglis Court is a retirement complex with 24 one-bedroom properties, as well as a three-bedroom house, which was formerly the warden’s home.Over recent years, the unit has proved to be unpopular, outdated and has attracted very little demand.A £3.5 million plan to knock down the flats and replace them with 21 new affordable homes was backed by councillors as far back as 2018, and received planning approval earlier this year. The development was supported by significant grant investment by the Scottish Government.The proposed housing mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties would also have provided specialist accommodation in line with the council’s commitment to deliver wheelchair accessible and particular needs housing.But as demolition loomed, a protest meeting led to more than 750 locals signing a petition calling for Inglis Court’s return to sheltered accommodation,The local authority was then forced to put the project on pause so a full appraisal around a range of options could be drawn up.At the full council meeting last week, councillors considered four options for the future of the complex, which would see the housing demolished, sold off, retained or given to a private company to run.Councillor Ronnie Proctor said the current state of the housing was “worse than some barracks” he’d stayed in while part of the armed forces.Councillors all agreed to go forward with option one, which will see the retirement flats demolished and council housing built.