Angus Council has been accused of “moving the goalposts” on the sale of offices in the centre of Forfar.
Businessman Ken Parke, whose bid on 5-7 The Cross triggered a dramatic Angus Council U-turn over the planned private sale to pub giant JD Wetherspoon, has hit out at how the council has handled the sale.
Councillors voted in private on Thursday to reverse an earlier closed doors decision to negotiate a private deal for the 150-year-old property.
Angus Council confirmed that its offices in the centre of Forfar will be put on the open market, as revealed in Friday’s Courier.
As political fall-out from the decision continues, Mr Parke told The Courier that he believes the building which includes the office of the Provost of Angus could deliver much-needed bedroom accommodation as a boutique hotel.
That view has been reinforced after Mr Parke, whose Christie P company operates Parkgrove crematorium near Friockheim, inspected the property this week.
But he has been angered by Thursday’s turn of events in the closed-doors session of the full council.
“I am annoyed that they have changed the goalposts and I don’t think that is right,” said Mr Parke.
“After learning that the property was to be sold I submitted my higher offer, which was unconditional and genuine.
His offer remains on the table and he said a boutique hotel was his favoured use for the premises.
The Wetherspoon bid was first revealed at a special meeting of Angus Council on August 26, when councillors agreed to continue private negotiations about a possible sale with the pub chain.
Minutes from this meeting, which are now in the public domain, reveal the split among councillors over the private sale to Wetherspoon.
Forfar councillor Glennis Middleton went against her fellow SNP councillors by tabling a motion that the bid be rejected.
The other 11 SNP members plus independents Bob Spink and Ewan Smith voted to sell the building to JD Wetherspoon and 13 councillors voted to reject the offer.
With the votes tied, Angus Provost Helen Oswald used her casting vote to authorise that private negotiations continue with Wetherspoon.
A second amendment was then tabled by Forfar councillor Colin Brown, seconded by Ian McLaren, that instead of concluding the sale to Wetherspoon in private, the building should be placed on the open market.
Mrs Middleton did not vote and this motion was defeated by 13 votes to 12.
Mrs Middleton said: “I think I was reflecting the views of the community and in particular the business community when I moved that the offer should be refused.”