Vigil at pub set for demolition
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A CANDLE-lit vigil was held recently outside a prominent building which is on the verge of being knocked down.
Workmen have already begun to strip the interior of the Tennant Arms, the original coaching inn and hotel which had stood in Lhanbryde since 1854.
A group of about 20 villagers gathered outside to mark their ongoing opposition to what is happening.
The building's current owner Tahir Pervaiz bought the empty building at auction a while after the Tennant Arms closed down in 2012.
It is understood that he is now in the process of selling the cleared site to the Co-op who will open a convenience store there.
Moray Council received 150 objections to the proposal, many from local residents. Some stated the village already had a Keystore directly opposite and did not need another shop. Others raised safety concerns about increased traffic along St Andrews Road.
However, after a three-hour meeting in November 2016, the local authority's planning committee voted to allow the pub to be knocked down.
George Herraghty, one of the organisers of the vigil, said: "It's a tremendously sad moment. Many people are very upset.
"The Tennant Arms is the most characterful building in the main street and much-loved by local residents. It also has largest and most prominent quality stone frontage in the whole of Lhanbryde. The last thing the village needs is another chain store."
