Lossie landmark's future looking brighter
COUNCILLORS have today kick-started the process to take ownership of one the most iconic buildings in Lossiemouth, which has lain empty for 20 years.
Braelossie is a large residential building on Prospect Terrace, which was converted into two flats.
Fire ripped through the abandoned property in 2015, which has been also targeted by vandals and is on Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register. Moray Council's building standards officers have secured the building on several occasions, including after the fire.
Now a report will be sent to full council, which will decide whether to proceed with a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), allowing for the property to be sold and brought back into residential use.
Members of the council’s planning committee were told that a number of people have previously contacted the council, interested in buying the property in its current state.
Chair of the council’s Planning & Regulatory Services committee, Cllr Claire Feaver said it will be important to see the property brought back into use.
“If we’re successful in securing a compulsory purchase order for Braelossie, it will pave the way for residential accommodation to be provided on the site, which is in a prominent position overlooking Lossiemouth’s East Beach and beyond.
“It won’t be an easy or a quick process, but we’re confident that bringing the plot back into use will put an end to the anti-social behaviour which neighbouring residents have reported, and provide a new home, or homes, for families in Moray.”
Full costings associated with a CPO will now be calculated and reported back to the council, before any further action is taken.
Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.
Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.
Headquartered in Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.