The clock is ticking on proposals being submitted to help revitalise an iconic Moray timepiece whose hands have stopped moving.
Power has been cut off to the clock tower in Dufftown on health and safety grounds due to water leaking through the Victorian walls.
Repairs to make the building weather-proof once again have been estimated to cost more than £50,000.
And now, Moray Council has warned the local landmark could be sold on the open market or mothballed unless “substantive proposals” are tabled in the next year.
Charity, Speyside Youth, has been pursuing plans to buy the clock tower from the authority to refurbish it with meeting rooms, a gallery, visitor attraction and holiday accommodation.
Last night, Marcus Salter, secretary of the group, explained he was currently finalising a business plan and was confident he would have firm proposals by the council’s deadline.
He said: “Our proposals provide a youth-led sustainable solution for the icon of malt whisky country, kept in community ownership.”
Speyside Youth’s proposals includes reinstating a large arched window and reopening the building’s cellar.
The hands on the clock tower have not turned for months – permanently frozen at 3.03.
Members of the council’s policy and resources committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the way forward for the world-famous building.
Authority staff have recommended waiting 12 months for proposals to emerge from the community before pursuing other options.
Moray Council has not used the building since 1977. A Visit Scotland tourist office there shut down three years ago.
Due to the building’s historic use, a court application would have to be made for it to be sold on the open market.
Jim Nicol, chairman of Dufftown Community Council, explained that locals were desperate to see the building restored to its former glory.
He said: “The community is more concerned with getting the clock working again. The water has been getting in there for about 10 years and I have no idea if it’s getting worse or better.
“There’s a real concern about the clock though, especially at the height of the summer season. It’s embarrassing to look up and see the hands stopped at just after 3 and not lit up at night.”
