Plans for a wildlife rescue centre at the former putting green pavilion in Broughty Ferry have been “knocked on the head.”
Shanwell Wildlife Rescue Trust founder Gareth Norman said that, after more than a year of negotiations, the charity is back to square one in its search for larger premises.
He says he was told he could only be offered a short lease on the Esplanade site because Dundee City Council wants to keep its options open for future development in the area.
The charity may now be forced to look outside Dundee.
The pavilion, which serviced the putting green and tennis courts, has been hit by vandals repeatedly during 15 months of discussions between Shanwell and the council on the lease.
“The council said they would have to put their building control people in to have a look at it and then I was asked down to a meeting at City Square,” said Mr Norman.
“I thought they were going to tell me when I could get the keys but they basically presented me with a three-page report which said the building needed about £23,000 of repairs.”
He said the charity was prepared to seek lottery funding for the repairs but he was hit with another bombshell.
“I was told that the council couldn’t offer us any more than a maximum three-year lease on the building because they want to keep their options open for the development of the Esplanade.
“That kind of scuppers us looking for lottery funding because they would look for at least a 10-year lease and there didn’t seem to be even a guarantee that we would get the full three years.”
He said the charity “won’t be moving along to the Esplanade.”
A council spokesman said: “The council has offered to explore alternative options with the group to accommodate their proposals. We will be happy to discuss details with them directly.”
On the suggestion the council was keeping its options open on the Esplanade site, he added: “There are no current plans for development in this area.”