The immediate future of controversial Forfar council offices at the heart of a 15-month on-off sale saga has been sealed with barely a whimper.
Having been dropped by pub giant JD Wetherspoon as the possible site for a town ‘superpub’, 5-7 The Cross will now be included in a district-wide review of Angus Council accommodation as the authority seeks to maximise the efficiency of its buildings.
However, having been gagged by confidentiality rules during the painful process which saw the council u-turn on a planned private deal with the pub giant for a £400,000 sale, then accept a reduced £350,000 JDW offer before the firm itself retreated from its Forfar advance, elected members were silent during the first opportunity to have their say in public as an options report was waved through without comment during a full meeting of the council on Thursday.
Councillors unanimously agreed chief executive Richard Stiff’s report recommending the property review option, as opposed to marketing the 150-year-old building again or maintaining the status quo which involves little use by elected representatives.
The longer-term future for the three-storey property should crystallise before the end of this year when officials are due to bring forward the Transforming Angus estates review.
Mr Stiff’s report highlighted the £400,000 maintenance bill hanging over The Cross in the next few years and said that although sale of the property would remove that burden, the marketing exercise undertaken late last year and current climate indicated that a buyer would be hard to find.
He said the review option would allow the council to “assess the future use of the building, including the provision of fit for purpose facilities for elected members.”
Mr Stiff added: “This option places the consideration of the future use of the building within the wider strategic context of affordable and sustainable council facilities and offices across the county.
“Including the building in the scope of this review will enable all options for the future to be considered with a sound rationale for addressing the maintenance needs being developed should the outcome be for the property to be retained for use by the council.”