£6m Angus green transport hub moves forward

A multi-million-pound plan for a commercial vehicle green fuel stop beside the Forfar bypass is moving forward.

Plans for the £6 million Angus Rural Mobility Hub (ARMH) were first unveiled by Angus Council in 2022.

Those initially centred on a site at Brechin Business Park.

However, the council was unable to finalise a deal for the land.

In 2024 the authority was left to go back to the drawing board in its search for an alternative location.

The Courier later revealed it planned to use nine hectares of land at Orchardbank Business Park, opposite Angus Council headquarters.

ARMH aims to deliver zero and low carbon transport infrastructure from the nine-hectare site.

Funding for ARMH is coming from the Tay Cities Deal.

Designs revealed earlier this year showed the proposed layout of electric, gas and hydrogen storage and refueling facilities.

Consultants who produced the ARMH plan say 14 compressed natural gas and 20 hydrogen truck fills per day are initially proposed. The site will have potential for future expansion.

Commercial EV charging stations will be located on the edge of the site closest to Forfar Loch.

Experts say green commercial vehicles make up a third of the 12,500 vehicles which pass the site daily.

“As a result of its strategic location, (the site) has attracted a number of businesses which cater for vehicles and people on the move,” says the ARMH design document.

“These businesses include food and drink services, offices, and EV charging/petrol station facilities.”

McDonald, KFC and Starbucks are all located at Orchardbank.

Forfar police headquarters is now based at the business park after relocating from its former base in West High Street.

A planning application for the transport hub was lodged in April. It followed a consultation which generated only five responses from members of the public.

Transport Scotland, Nature Scot and Scottish Water have no objection to the proposal.

Angus Council is now seeking a contractor to build the hub.

A notice for £4.6m of site infrastructure has been posted on the Public Contracts Scotland procurement portal.

The council hopes to secure at least five tenders for the year-long project.

The planning application for the mobility hub is yet to be determined.

This article appeared in the Courier on 14 October 2026