The £3.5 million affordable housing project would have delivered air-tight, highly energy efficient homes at the site of the council-owned Inglis Court complex.

The proposed housing mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom properties would also have provided specialist accommodation in line with the council’s commitment to deliver wheelchair accessible and particular needs housing.

The development, which received planning approval earlier this year, was supported by significant grant investment by the Scottish Government.

But as demolition loomed, a protest meeting led to more than 750 locals signing a petition calling for Inglis Court’s return to sheltered accommodation, The Courier reports.

In a separate development, Angus developer Mark Guild lodged a £400,000 bid for the complex with a pledge to return it to sheltered housing.

The move which led to the project being stalled came through an amendment by Brechin and Edzell councillor Kenny Braes which was unanimously agreed by all councillors.

It will task officials with gathering independent valuations for Inglis Court as a vacant site with the existing buildings; a cleared site with the agreed planning permission and the value of the existing 25 properties if they were sold individually.

In addition, a full appraisal around a range of options will be drawn up.

Those include redevelopment according to the existing plan; open market sale; third party lease to provide sheltered housing, and a lease to a holiday let company or refurbishment to family housing.