Kerr's Miniature Railway could return to Angus as £150,000 lease renewal considered by councillors

The Arbroath miniature railway could be set for a comeback as a lease deal hints at a £150,000 return for the iconic attraction.

It follows a recent consultation considering the renewal of the lease for the miniature railway at West Links Arbroath.

The lease will be for a period of 20 years.

Kerr’s Miniature Railway had operated at the West Links, Arbroath, since 1935.

However, in 2020, dwindling numbers forced owner John Kerr to shut down the family business his grandfather started.

Some of the miniature railway’s buildings have now also been demolished or altered due to work carried out by Network Rail on the adjacent east coast main line.

However, a new report has revealed that if the 20-year lease is agreed upon, the attraction could receive £150,000 worth of investment.

Consultation

A report on the public consultation on the proposals reveals a “negative response” from councillor Brenda Durno.

She wrote: “I think all the Arbroath councillors would like to be in a discussion meeting on this lease before any decisions are made.

“We are basically signing away common good land to an outside vendor when we could use that land for future development of council activity.”

This meant that all seven Arbroath councillors were further consulted on two possible options for the future of the site.

These are:

a) Renew the lease to Kerr’s Miniature Railway at an annual rental of £1,200 per annum for a period of 20 years.

b) Terminate the lease with effect from May 13. Council officers will then explore potential alternative uses for the site.

Five councillors preferred option A – subject to appropriate lease break clauses and an increase in rent.

A further one preferred option B and another did not respond.

Since there was no consensus, council chiefs considered it appropriate to allow the policy and resources committee to decide.

£150,000 investment

If the lease is agreed, Mr Kerr intends to invest £150,000 in the attraction.

The money will go towards repairs and improvements on the site, including rebuilding the carriage shed that was demolished as a result of the Network Rail works.

It is hoped these works will take between one to two years to complete.

The plan is to open the Miniature Railway at weekends from Easter until the end of October and daily throughout the school holidays.

The policy and resources committee will meet on Tuesday to make a decision.