Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Council selected architects defend “eyesore” Fraserburgh building

The rusted steel at the rear of Fraserburgh's former police station
The rusted steel at the rear of Fraserburgh's former police station

Architects chosen by Aberdeenshire Council to transform the heart of a north-east town have defended their designs.

Proposals to convert Fraserburgh Town House and the port’s former police station won planning permission earlier this year despite outcry from local councillors and residents who branded the designs as an “eyesore”.

The local authority hopes to restore the listed buildings into a welcoming front-of-house for council services and open it up to the wider community who will be able to use it to host business and public meetings.

But councillors Hamish Partridge and Ian Tait have blasted the project.

Mr Partridge claims the money could be “better spent” on other projects across the town, while Mr Tait has said the design – erecting rusted steel cladding to form a rain screen at the rear of the buildings – would create a “scar” on the face of the port.

Last night architect behind the project Ben Addy, who established Moxon Architects in 2004, has now defended the scheme.

“The extension will efficiently and sensitively link both properties to provide a welcoming and elegant public face for the council,” he said.

“The robust design is conceived as a largely permeable structure set against the massive construction typology of the existing historic buildings.”

Council area manager Margaret-Jane Cardno has also defended the project, part of a wider effort to regenerate Fraserburgh’s town centre over the next five years.

“No representations were received to the planning application, though it is recognised the design is bold, as it was intended to be,” she said.

“The correct process has been followed to reach this point, where substantial funding is in place, plans are approved and work is due to start.

“Any suggestion that this money could have been used for an alternative project other than a historical asset is simply wrong and this facility is intended to benefit the whole community.”

Moxon say its designs will be “invisible” from the front of the building.

“Externally, landscaping of the public realm on North Braehead will significantly improve this neglected part of the town to provide an attractive route from the civic centre to the busy port,” a spokeswoman added.