Sea change for town's historic pier
An historic feature of Montrose Port is due to be demolished to make way for a new development, as the facility makes plans for its future.
The 144-year-old pier on the harbour’s west quay has stood in its current form since1882, although port records show that a pier on the site was first recorded in 1493.
This was rebuilt in stone in 1631, while the present C-listed pier was erected more than £200 years later at a cost of £810.
It projects almost 30 metres into the River South Esk estuary, close to Montrose lifeboat station. However, the stone and rubble structure is now deemed to be unsafe and is out of bounds.
Montrose Port Authority submitted a listed building consent application with Angus Council to demolish, with a planning statement setting out the reasons for the move.
The port said one project in its overall masterplan involves the reconstruction of berths 9,10 and 11 to capitalise on the potential of existing infrastructure.
The submission said: “Berths 9,10 and 11 are currently in a state of disrepair and considered unusable for modern needs due to their depth.”
The new project will see the straightening of the north quay and 800 sq m of warehousing and 200 sq m of additional office space being created.
But the port said keeping the old pier would “compromise the layout and structural integrity of the new docks”.
Historic Environment Scotland did not object to the application and council officials approved the listed building consent application under delegated powers.