Montrose sports hub gets the green light

The facility will be built on the grounds of Union Park, home of the local rugby club, and will replace the current clubhouse on the site.

The new and improved sports hub will be kitted out with kitchen facilities, a car park, changing rooms, toilets, a medical room and a plant room. There will also be social spaces that can be used for community group activities, after-match food for junior teams, and potentially children’s birthday parties.

The application was submitted by the Union Park Community Hub, a charity set up in 2022 to promote organised sport in the local community, and approved unanimously approved at a meeting of the development standards committee.

Local councillor Bill Duff said: “The current clubhouse is wooden and rather elderly, so replacing it with something that’s modern with showers and toilets is absolutely excellent.”

Conservative councillor Iain Gall added: “Anything that supports sport in local towns is obviously a very good thing and hopefully provides decades to come of more success at the club and all those that use it.”

Only two letters of objection were lodged, which raised concerns over parking, increased traffic, the impact of the floodlighting and the extent to which the hub will be used for social events. However, the applicants said no new lights are proposed, neither are there plans to operate a licensed premises.