Farmfoods target surprise site as details of new Arbroath store are revealed

The site of Arbroath’s former Seaforth Hotel is the surprise target for the largest Farmfoods store in Angus. The Dundee Road land was revealed at a public consultation in the town on Friday as the company’s potential location for an outlet to replace its current High Street branch.

Earlier this month, Farmfoods teased news of its plans to create its most modern unit in the area. And although the project is at an early stage, the choice of site is certain to spark widespread debate in the town.

It is 20 years since the Seaforth Hotel was destroyed by a ferocious early morning blaze. The landmark art deco hotel was one of Arbroath’s most popular from when it opened in the 1930s. However, since the blaze in August 2006, the gateway site has been the subject of controversy and failed development proposals.

Those included a bid a year after the inferno for a 17-bed hotel on the seafront land. But it also included plans for 44 flats in a scheme which the Scottish Government rejected on appeal. In 2018, a 24-room hotel and restaurant was approved by Angus Council – but never progressed. Then, in 2020, another developer came forward with a proposal for a filling station, retail unit and drive-thru coffee shop.

The most recent name to be associated with the site is coffee chain Starbucks. It won a planning appeal in 2024 to create a drive-thru outlet, which is yet to be built. Last August, The Courier reported the site was back on the market.

Farmfoods says that if the store gets a planning green light it will be its most modern in Angus. The firm is known for frozen goods as well as groceries, fresh fruit and veg and other household items. It said the Seaforth site would offer parking at the door in an easily accessible location.

The family business was founded in Aberdeen in 1954 and now has more than 340 stores UK-wide. Farmfoods say the new plan confirms its commitment to the town. But putting a supermarket on the site is likely to be the major area of discussion for locals and council planners.

The vacant ground lies between Arbroath’s Gayfield Park and the West Links leisure area. It’s also beside the town’s £14 million Place for Everyone active travel route.

Farmfoods is expected to set out the next stages in its proposal following feedback from the public consultation event.

This article appeared in the Courier on 23 May 2026