The sale of controversial council ‘superpub’ offices is expected to finally be a completed this week, four years after a private sale row surrounding the property.
Third sector body Voluntary Action Angus has said it is confident the last legal work will be done within days to seal the purchase of 5-7 The Cross, in the heart of the town.
The prominent building was the target of a bid by national pub chain JD Wetherspoon to add a second outlet to its Angus portfolio but the hostelry giant’s plan hit trouble when details of the £400,000 bid emerged in 2014.
Neither the superpub plan or a local businessman’s idea of creating a boutique hotel came to fruition and Voluntary Action Angus, which currently has a base in Forfar and employs 14 staff to oversee the work of around 7,000 volunteers involved with more than 100 social enterprises.
However, the sale price for the building remains under wraps, along with details of how much has been spent on the property in the past few years after a £400,000-plus repair and maintenance bill was presented to councillors as a prime reason for offloading it.
In December, the authority announced councillors had completed their move to new accommodation in the upgraded Municipal buildings at The Cross.
It welcomed VAA as a “valued partner” in the deal, confirming at that point the organisation would take over the running costs and any future repair bills of the three-story building.
The council has now delayed answering a Freedom of Information request on the figures involved in the deal, saying it could “substantially prejudice” the commercial interests of the parties.
A council spokemsan said: “The council is in a concluded contract for the sale of 5-7 The Cross, Forfar however conveyancing is still ongoing at the moment between both parties.”
Under an FOI Act exemption clause, the authority added: “In this instance, we consider that disclosing the details could substantially prejudice the commercial interests of the council, and our ability to negotiate agreements which provide income for the public purse.
“We consider that at this time the public interest in scrutinising the details of specific agreements which the council has entered into is outweighed by the public interest in ensuring that the council can maintain confidentiality with regard to the information which the purchaser would expect to be kept confidential until the transaction is settled.”
A VAA spokesperson said: “There have been a couple of setbacks, but we are confident everything will be finalised this week.”
