Hopes were raised last night that an abandoned housing development could rise from the ashes.
Administrators have taken charge of Muirfield Contracts, which crashed last week – leaving 258 people redundant and two north-east affordable housing projects handing in the balance.
Chartered accounts Campbell Dallas LLP have now been appointed as the Dundee-based company’s administrators, and will begin winding down the business.
This could allow another developer to step in and complete the projects in Fraserburgh and Inverurie.
A 30-house showpiece development in Fraserburgh’s Barrasgate area was left unfinished after workers downed tools and walked off the site on Friday.
Local councillors raised fears it could become a haunt for youngsters and targeted by vandals if left for too long.
Now, a spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council has said that the authority is looking to hold meetings with Campbell Dallas at the “earliest opportunity”.
“In the meantime, the council’s property service is taking appropriate steps to ensure all sites and compounds are safe and secure,” he said.
Last night, Ronnie McNab, the chairman of the town’s community council, said he was hopeful that the houses would be built.
He added: “The quicker they get built the better – definitely. We need the houses and we need the jobs. Getting these houses is part of the regeneration of Fraserburgh.”
However, it is unlikely that Muirfield will have anything further to offer the project.
Derek Forsyth, Campbell Dallas’ head of business recovery, said that the company was no longer able to continue trading.
“As a result we very much regret that 258 employees have been made redundant and that the company is no longer in a position to offer work to around 110 labour-only sub-contractors who had been engaged prior to administration,” he added.
A 24-home project in Inverurie was also affected by Muirfield’s collapse.
The Fraserburgh and Inverurie developments are part of a wider local authority drive to provide an extra 169 affordable properties across the region.