Built in 1795, Marine Avenue Mill which was part of the town’s Chapel Works will take on a new lease of life, offering 26 apartments for social rent.

The Hillcrest Homes properties are set to be developed by George Martin Builders Ltd and will feature a mixture of one, two and three bedrooms.

Designed by Dundee architecture practice ARKTX, the new homes will also feature a high level of energy efficiency, aimed at keeping tenants’ bill as low as possible.

The new homes were originally planned to be completed around July 2021. However construction projects also currently on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a new development timetable and planned completion date will need to be confirmed.

The homes will be delivered with support from Angus Council and Scottish Government, who are providing a portion of the funding towards the project.

Fiona Morrison, Hillcrest’s deputy chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to develop a historical building that has been a significant part of Montrose’s industrial heritage, and redevelop it for the future into affordable homes.

“The building undoubtedly had a huge industrial contribution to the area, dating all the way back to the Georgian era, and it’s fantastic that the building will now be preserved for the future in a new lease of life.

“These new properties will offer a place tenants can call home, with a rich history and building character they can be proud of.”

Chapel Works was a spinning mill founded in 1795 to manufacture linen and rope and continued until 1967, when it was taken on as a whiskey bond for George Morton and Sons. It ceased to be a working building in 1999 and has lain derelict since.