Two popular tourist attractions at a historic Angus site are set to close.
The Caf Dun and Angus Loom Weavers, both based at the House of Dun in Montrose, will shut their doors to the public for the last time on Sunday following a bitter disagreement with the National Trust for Scotland.
A recent review of tenant leases has been carried out by the organisation which has discovered several aging contracts which it says violates current health and safety legislation.
Those owning and using buildings on NTS land, such as the caf and weaving rooms, have been offered new licenses to occupy the ground on which they operate, but the owner of the caf, known as Janet, and the weaving looms operator, Ian Dale, have both declined the new contracts.
A spokesperson for the National Trust for Scotland said: “The leases in question at the House of Dun had not been reviewed for a period of many years and did not address current legislative obligations.
“It was necessary to terminate the old leases and bring forward new ones which covered requirements related to health and safety, the law on smoking indoors in premises accessible to the public and, in the cafe’s case, food preparation.
“We also proposed a modest rent increase, although rental was still pegged well below current market values.
“The tenants chose not to sign the new leases and elected to terminate their tenancies.
“We are sorry that they chose this course of action but it is entirely their prerogative. Commercial leases elsewhere will be broadly similar to those we offered, which in turn are no more onerous than those in force at other NTS properties.”
The owner of the Caf Dun said that the terms of the new offer from the NTS were “not viable” to allow her to continue her business.
Janet said: “What I have been offered is not a lease it’s a license to occupy, which is quite different in its terms and conditions.
“I cannot, as an independent business, personally comply with the terms and conditions of the new offering. It is not viable for someone who wants to operate an independent business.
“We are actively seeking new premises in order to continue to give the best quality, value for money and customer service to the people that have supported us in our eight years here.”
It has been claimed that both the owner of the caf and Mr Dale were given notices to quit by the NTS before being given any notification of the lease review.
The Courier also understands that new contracts offered to current tenants in the form of licences to occupy are in fact rolling contracts.
A spokesman for the NTS said that quit notices were issued in order to terminate the old leases.
He added: “It was an administrative requirement that the old lease was terminated in order to allow a new lease to be put in place.
“Therefore, there was the formality of a ‘notice to quit’ but this was immediately followed by interim leases to enable continued tenancy while negotiations for the new lease were concluded.
“The new lease would have guaranteed the tenant long-term occupancy of the property, but they chose not to sign this and elected to end their rental arrangement with the trust.”