Proposals to spruce up Montrose High Street and promote the town centre remain a major item on the Montrose Together agenda.
Montrose has twice been turned down in bids for funding from the government’s £60 million town regeneration fund but Montrose Together has asked a committee for proposals to refurbish the town centre.
With Angus Council, it is pushing ahead with plans for new public seating and bins as well as repairing and replacing the mermaid street lamps and provost’s lamp.
Additional community planters and wider environmental issues, ScotRail’s “adopt a station” programme, and improved disability access at the station will also be pursued when the group holds its annual general meeting next month.
Councillor David May said members of the group had walked the High Street to identify the best places for new benches.
“There is a variety of seating and bins in the High Street which is not always of the highest standard and we are looking to standardise them with a theme that would fit in with a new provost’s lamp,” he said.
“The old lamp was irreparably damaged in an accident last year and with the help of the Montrose Society we are looking to replace it with something as near to the original as possible.”
The group is also hoping the restoration of the burgh’s old Mermaid street lighting columns will go ahead partly as an attractive cosmetic addition to the streetscape, to act as standards for the Christmas lights, and from which to hang banners to promote events.
“We are concentrating on things we can get funding for and unfortunately there is no funding available at the moment to upgrade the closes,” said Mr May.
Montrose Together is also looking at signs for visitor attractions and ways of improving them. The group is also considering going for Purple Flag status, which would endorse the town’s entertainment and hospitality.
The Purple Flag scheme was set up by a partnership which includes the Home Office, the Department for Culture, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the British Institute of Innkeepers and Business in the Community.
It is applied to areas based on an objective assessment of criteria including how welcoming, clean and safe it is, its appeal in terms of mix of entertainment and activities, and whether it is a stimulating place to visit.