A busy north-east high street which was forced to close in the aftermath of a hotel blaze has reopened in time for the Christmas shopping period.
Traders had feared that the closure of Macduff’s Shore Street following the fire at the Highland Haven Hotel could hit profits and threaten jobs.
But yesterday the harbour-side street reopened to traffic in both directions, eight days ahead of schedule.
Last night Aberdeenshire Council’s planning and building standards chief Robert Gray said: “I would like to thank every council officer involved as well as the demolition contractors for all their efforts to reopen the road as soon as possible.
“Their hard work has allowed two-way traffic on Shore Street earlier than anticipated and in time to allow access during the busy festive period.
“I would also like to thank the local residents of Macduff for their patience while the building has been made safe.”
More than 70 firefighters were needed to put out the October fire and although no one was injured, concerns for public safety meant the local authority had to demolish the remains of the derelict building.
In November prominent local businessman Des Cheyne, owner of the Spotty Bag Shop, warned the closure of Macduff’s main thoroughfare could be “devastating for business”.
Following the reopening of the route yesterday, Mr Cheyne said: “It’s still early days yet but we’ve seen an improvement.
“We’ll not be able to recoup the losses we’ve made, but I’m just glad it’s open in time for the remainder of the Christmas period.”
He thanked the community for continuing to use local shops despite the inconvenience adding: “We did have to cut costs, but we’ve avoided making any pay offs.”
The pavement outside the Highland Haven Hotel will remain closed as site hoardings are put up and repairs are made to the pavement surface.
Aberdeenshire Council was controversially forced to foot the bill for the demolition of the historic hotel when it was revealed the owner’s insurance would not cover the work.