The plans show 44 two-bedroom flats, with up to eight ”affordable units” in a four-storey block, plus a ”modern hotel facility” comprising 17 en suite bedrooms and a restaurant/ pub/function room, in landscaped grounds.

The saga of the Seaforth Hotel, its recent purchase, aborted planning attempt, subsequent fire and demolition, has provided a hot topic for contributors to the TheShoppie.com forum.

Developer Mr Steven Smith said, ”Hopefully this prime and highly visible site will have a development people will welcome and appreciate, and from a tired and largely unattractive hotel to a burnt-out shell to a pile of rubble, will eventually rise a mixed use scheme that I will be proud of and the people who live in Arbroath will use, buy and be very happy with.”

The cleared ground where the hotel stood until fire raged through it in August was the subject of a special report to Angus councillors recently.

The infrastructure services report was brought forward because although there is broad local plan guidance for the seafront site, no specific policy exists in respect of the land the Seaforth occupied.