A north-east town is being asked to pitch ideas on how to transform a derelict police station.
Aberdeenshire Council is pumping £5million into Fraserburgh’s town centre as part of a campaign to regenerate the high street.
The authority has already branded the town centre a conservation zone, and has been given approval by local councillors to take over Mid Street’s former John Trail Bookstore.
Early plans suggest the book shop could become a hotel or bunkhouse for temporary accommodation.
And now the local authority wants people to offer up ideas for what it could do with the former police station at Kirk Brae.
The £5million project – dubbed Fraserburgh 2021 – will take place over five years and aims to restore both the Saltoun Chambers and the station.
Mary Melville, vice-chairwoman of the port’s community council, has warned that inaction from the public to engage with the council could turn Fraserburgh into a “ghost town”.
“This is vital, really,” she said.
“If something doesn’t happen in Fraserburgh soon, the place faces becoming a ghost town.”
Local councillor Charles Buchan echoed her thoughts and urged people to put forward their ideas.
He said: “There are various plans, and there is an architect drawing them up. There are different view points about what it will be used for. It may just be council offices, but there are also more adventurous plans than that.
“One is to make it into a sort of business centre to fit in with the regeneration agenda. There are a few things along those lines, but they haven’t even started physical work there.”
David Aitchison, chairman of the local authority’s infrastructure services committee, said the scheme was “exciting”.
“I hope that the local community take advantage of upcoming public consultations as an opportunity to have their say over the town’s future,” he added.
Fraserburgh 2021 has already been part-funded by Historic Scotland and the local authority, and it is hoped the shortfall will be made up with a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund.