Housing plan for former Monifieth school approved

The bid, lodged by Angus Council, will see Invertay House turned into social housing.

With the plans approved, the former school building and janitor’s house will be converted into 16 flats – with three new homes also being built on the site.

The converted buildings would provide 14 one-bedroom homes, one two-bedroom home and one four-bedroom home.

Council officers have said that the building’s development will create good quality, affordable housing that can improve the quality of life for residents by offering an environment that has positive benefits for health, financial stability and security.

The plans also incorporate a diverse mix of private, semi-private and public open green space to aid biodiversity.

The proposals were met with unanimous approval from councillors at the recent meeting of the development standards committee.

SNP councillor Lloyd Melville said: “This is a hugely welcomed development.

“I think it’s really positive to see the reuse of this listed building to provide new affordable homes for people who need them.”

Councillors expressed their relief the building will have a new lease of life after sitting unused for years.

SNP councillor Bill Duff added: “I’m tempted to say this is almost as long-running a saga as the Montrose homeless unit because this seems to have been on the agenda for at least the last ten years. It’s good to see we are actually progressing to convert this former school into housing.”

Invertay House was built in 1878 as Monifieth Public School and offered education for primary and secondary pupils until 1966. It then became Invertay Primary School until 1985, when the community lost a hard-fought campaign to save it from closure.

The building was then used as an office until 2016 when it was vacated by the council. Plans to turn the building into a community hub fell through when the proposal failed to secure vital lottery funding.