Plans have been laid for essential repairs to the roof of the High Street building, eight years after the last sheriff court case was heard there.

The group behind the project has also launched a crowdfunder to help with the renovation costs.

Arbroath Courthouse Community Trust (ACCT) was given nearly £300,000 of place-based Scottish Government funding distributed by Angus Council in August.

Angus Roberts, trust chairman, said he hopes work will begin in February.

“The mood going forward is very positive,” he told The Courier.

The building was secured from the Scottish Government by ACCT in 2020 for £1.

“The vision is to build and develop a sustainable, inclusive community hub that contributes to the much-needed regeneration of Arbroath High Street,” said Mr Roberts.

“We were recently awarded £281,000 to fully repair the roof, meaning we can now begin the transformation of these disused buildings. Fantastic as this is, this funding is restricted and can only be used to repair the roof.

“This project is a fine balance as our revenue funding is diminishing at a rapid rate. It is vital that we raise funds for general building running costs, to ensure survival of the project.

“We’ve been supported extremely well for the crowdfunder by local businesses and some individuals providing rewards for subscribing to the campaign.

“Another significant step was the survey we carried out of all the commercial and retail premises on the High Street. We didn’t have one negative response from over 100 businesses. They want to come on board to create partnerships, which is encouraging.”