Backers of a Monifieth community centre overlooking the Firth of Tay are within touching distance of achieving their dream.
Councillors will be asked to approve plans for the beachside community hub local leaders say will create opportunities currently denied to young people in the town.
But the ambitious plans for modern pavilion, featuring a gym, café and soft play area, could still fall at the final hurdle after warnings over noise and possible contamination in the ground beneath the building.
The proposed 900 square metre modern brick and glass structure, next to the existing cabin building, would contain a reception, activity hall, cafe, kitchen, meeting spaces, toilets, changing areas and a car park big enough for seven vehicles.
The Monifieth Community Resource Group has said the hub would be used by more than 50 organisations and be open from 9am to 9pm initially, seven days a week.
A spokesman for the group said: “The cabin which we currently run hosts 25 different groups and we currently have to turn many away due to unsuitability of the current resource or timetabling.
“Voluntary Action Angus and Angus Alive have indicated that they would deliver many of their programmes currently denied to our local residents and youngsters due to the lack of a suitable resource.”
The hub would also be used for “birthday parties, movie screenings, Hogmanay parties, anniversaries, weddings, art shows and music gigs.”
But while recommending councillors approve the application, planning officials have insisted on conditions to control noise and for further research into potential contamination at the site.
A report from consulting engineers McGregor McMahon stated they had “identified limited potential for onsite sources of contamination.”
“The subject site appears to have been landscaped and may have been the subject of infilling with unknown materials.
“Based on the findings of this desk study, it is considered that the site poses an overall low to medium risk of harm.”
The council received 44 comments on the project, 30 in support but 13 objections on grounds including the impact on open space, anti-social behaviour and noise.
Angus Council planning head Kate Cowey said: “The proposal provides for the construction of a new community facility comprising a modern building capable of accommodating a wide range of uses.
“It would involve the development of open space but the new building would complement existing recreational facilities in the area.
“Matters raised by third parties have been taken into account in preparing this report and the proposed planning conditions seek to mitigate impacts where appropriate.”
The application goes in front of Angus Council’s development standards committee for a decision on Tuesday.
