Angus councillors have given the green light to a multi-million pound Montrose business park after rejecting a Scottish Government planning condition regarding a Laurencekirk transport junction.

John Lawrie Group plans to build the 50-hectare development on the town’s former wartime airfield.

Transport Scotland had recommended a suspensive condition delaying any work until the completion of the long-awaited A90 Laurencekirk flyover.

Last month infrastructure secretary Keith Brown announced £24 million funding towards delivery of the flyover at the dual carriageway’s “blackspot” crossing with the A937 to Marykirk and Montrose but no firm timescale has been set.

Now the local authority’s rejection of the stipulation may lead to the Scottish Government calling in the business park plans.

SNP administration leader Iain Gaul said that with no indication of timescale and no control over the project in neighbouring Aberdeenshire he wanted to ensure his authority got out the message that “Angus is open for business”.

Mr Gaul said: “Angus is open for business, but this condition blocks this, it blocks everything that is going to happen in north Angus and is going to have an adverse effect for years to come.

“We don’t know when this junction is going to happen, but we have been told nothing happens in north Angus if it generates one more car.

“That is a dreadful statement, made by someone in Edinburgh not knowing what is going on in the north-east.

“If they want to pull this in it’s up to them to argue why they want that condition left on,” said Mr Gaul.