Montrose will soon have its own ice skate park after Angus Council approved plans for the Traill Drive development, but ice skaters are set to fight on until lighting is installed as part of the construction.

Angus Council’s development standards committee met to discuss whether or not to give its approval to a planning application to build an ice skating park at the Ashie car park at Traill Drive. With a tender specification already agreed upon, the approval will now result in the council issuing tenders for the project.

It was the second time the Montrose Skate Park Committee had had to wait with bated breath for the local authority to give ice skating facility its approval.

The approved plan does detail plans for outdoor lighting for the ice skate park, but that will not be included in the development at this stage after the authority’s neighbourhood services committee last month refused to include lighting as part of the tender specification.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Montrose SNP councillor Sandy West said he hoped the development standards committee would give the scheme its approval, despite earlier rulings by the council’s Alliance administration.

In her annual report, ice skate park committee chairperson, Kathleen Ritchie, said 2008 had been a traumatic year, but commended the committee for their patience and perseverance.

In addition, Mrs Ritchie said the council’s refusal to approve lighting for the new ice skating park raised concerns that members of the Alliance were not concerned with the safety of young people.