A deal is on the table for the sale of historical council buildings that were at the centre of a Forfar ‘superpub’ debacle.
The Cross in the heart of Forfar is one of a number of surplus council buildings the local authority has been struggling to sell for a number of years.
The Courier understands an agreement is now in the offing with Voluntary Action Angus (VAA) and the matter will be discussed in private at Tuesday’s policy and resources committee in Forfar.
It is expected to be signed off just minutes after councillors agree to a £95,000 service level agreement with VAA to support its ongoing work in the third sector.
Forfar and District Conservative councillor Braden Davy said: “Although I can’t comment on anything relating to a private matter due to commercial sensitivity, we can all see The Cross is up for sale.
“I think this is the right step as it is currently a very under-utilised building.
“As a newly-elected councillor in May I was able to see The Cross as the home for Angus councillors.
“What has become apparent to me is that we are only using a fraction of the space in it.
“At a time when Angus Council budgets are being squeezed, we need to make sure we are reducing our footprint and making the best use of our office space.
“We councillors can work remotely or from alternative council buildings.
“There has been a lot of false starts with the sale of The Cross but I would like to see it sold as soon as possible.
“Others could use this great central location in Forfar, while helping deliver savings and reduce maintenance costs for Angus Council.
“Decisions we make should be transparent and available for scrutiny and I trust discussions we have about The Cross will become public at a suitable time in the future.”
The Cross has been on the market for the past four years.
Pub giant JD Wetherspoon had the historical buildings in its sights for a second Angus outlet, but backed out of a six-figure deal after a storm of controversy over a planned closed doors deal between the local authority and the hospitality giant.
Wetherspoon offered £400,000 for the three-storey, 150-year-old property at 5-7 The Cross in a surprise approach in 2014 and the bid was poised to be accepted after councillors voted in private to take the cash.
However, when news of the planned sale leaked out, a local businessman trumped the pub chain price, forcing a council U-turn which saw the prominent building put on the open market – only for no formal offers to be received.
Wetherspoon subsequently came back with a reduced offer of £350,000, which was accepted by the council – but in a further twist the firm subsequently backed out and said it would not be coming to Forfar.
