Shock as Brume and Brander duo announce they are to withdraw from Lossie pub project

The team behind plans to reopen the Brander Arms in Lossiemouth have announced they are being forced to abandon the plan.

In a Facebook post, Katie and Phil Witton said that despite big plans for the pub, which was to have been renamed Brume and Brander, they have been hit by one too many setbacks.

The couple, who also own Foggies in Elgin, say they are now pulling out of the project.

It was announced back in February that they would be taking on the challenge to breathe new life into the Brander Arms.

There had been plans for the pub to open at some point this month.

Locals had been very much looking forward to visiting the new business.

And on social media today they described the announcement as “sad news”.

Katie and Phil’s post reads: “We’re heartbroken to announce that we’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Brander Bar project in Lossiemouth.”

Just what has beaten bid to bring the Brander Arms back to life?

The couple listed issues with regenerating the building as the key factor in their decision to withdraw.

In their statement, they claim the building has no electricity supply and they have had trouble securing access for tradespeople.

The Brander Arms closed in September last year after it was put up for sale by the Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Company.

The closure was apparently needed so repairs could be made to the harbour.

Announcing their intention to bring it back to life, Katie and Phil told us “We are big advocates of bars not shutting down”.