New lease of life plan to create homes from former mill

A former Arbroath mill could be given a new lease of life after plans were submitted to convert it into housing.

Baltic Works in Arbroath has been a loom linen weaving factory and a whisky bond – a warehouse where whisky is stored under lock and key before excise duty is paid – in its 165 years.

Owner Cullross Developments has now submitted plans to Angus Council to transform the derelict factory, vacant for nearly 30 years, into 24 flats — with a further 16 new-builds on the site.

An application submitted to council planners shows a mix of one and two bedroom apartments.

Cullross Developments, which specialises in affordable housing solutions, is taking on the development for Hillcrest Housing Association.

Steven Garry, director at Cullross Developments, said: “It’s an exciting development opportunity that will bring new, much-needed, energy-efficient housing right into the centre of Arbroath – but it is an old building and will not be without its challenges.”

There have been a number of applications submitted in the past for the property, with planners approving each one.

Cullross Developments says it now hopes this latest application will also get the green light from Angus Council chiefs.

The firm previously created the housing development on the former Dens Metal Works site at Dens Road in Dundee.

It took the project through the full design and planning permission phases before selling the site to Hillcrest.

If the application is successful, Baltic Works will be transformed in a similar way, the company said.