The fate of a new route which could be an Angus town’s road to further riches now rests in the hands of Scottish ministers.
The regeneration of south Montrose has already attracted investment of £85.5 million and in the process created 140 jobs.
There are further investment projects in the pipeline that could see expenditure exceed £100m and the total new jobs rising to more than 200.
Angus Council and its partners are seeking to bring back derelict buildings and land into use to provide sites to allow new and existing companies to locate and expand.
A spine road from Montrose Bridge to the GlaxoSmithKline plant is considered a fundamental ingredient in the regeneration and the key to unlocking the town’s economic potential.
The council approved the serving of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to progress delivery of the road and there were no objections submitted by the public.
Negotiations to buy a small number of properties on the route are understood to be continuing.
A council spokesman said: “The matter is currently with Scottish ministers and we hope to have a decision on whether they will confirm or reject the CPO by late summer.
“It’s not possible to give a start date for the work at this time but we will be keen to take matters forward at the earliest opportunity, while at the same time endeavouring to accommodate the needs of those property owners and occupiers, so far as we are able to.
“We are very excited about the investment that has taken place to date, as well as projects that are in the pipeline, such as Rix Shipping (Scotland) having planning approvals in place for developments either side of Barrack Road.
“There are other important deals in the offing, but these have still to be finalised.”
Angus Council’s deputy leader and Montrose councillor Paul Valentine said it was an exciting time for the town.
He added: “The construction of a spine road will make the link with the harbour much better.
“Montrose is becoming an area of choice for private sector investment which can only be good for Angus.”
Fellow town councillor Mark Salmond said the new spine road would assist traffic movement within the south of Montrose and “make the industrial part more attractive to new businesses”.