Fife Council hints refusal to sell old office to charity in row over value

Councillors on the Community Empowerment Act Review Committee will meet on Monday to continue discussions on the future of the customer services building in St Mary’s Place, St Andrews, after talks stalled at the end of last year.

The St Andrews Environmental Network (StAndEN) has offered to pay £100,000 for the building so it can create a community space with public toilets, office space, environmental advice and an ‘eco shop’.

However, Fife Council has hinted that it does not want to sell the 19th century building below market value, which it says could be anywhere between £700,000 and £2.4 million.

Officers have hinted in reports that they see a far greater benefit in keeping the building for themselves, with a view to selling it in future.

Approving a community transfer, they said, would lead to a “potential…significant loss of income to the council”.

A report prepared for Monday’s meeting noted: “As a consequence of Covid restrictions, the property is currently mothballed, however, changes to service delivery as a result of the epidemic has resulted in a reconsideration of accommodation requirements. Once determined, a decision will be made on the building’s future.

“Should the (community asset transfer) panel decision be upheld and the appeal refused, and in the event the property is confirmed as surplus, it will be marketed and offered for sale.”

StAndEN had its original asset transfer application refused in August. Council officers argued that the charity had failed to demonstrate how its “environment centre” would benefit the wider community.

The charity then lodged an appeal, the beginning of which was heard in December. But discussions were postponed so councillors could learn more about the local authority’s ultimate plans for the building after it emerged that a plan to put it out to pasture in 2018 had not come to pass.

At the meeting, StAndEN argued that it had independently valued the building at £500,000 and that demolishing the building for redevelopment was unlikely given that it sits in a conservation area and is Category C listed.

It also disputed the council’s claims that the building is “wind and watertight”, citing photographs taken on a site visit that show signs of damp in ceilings.

Fife had already relocated some services to Cupar in what was seen as a gradual winding-down of the facility, before the local authority reversed its stance and said no formal decision had ever been made on closing it down.

Elected members publicly expressed surprise over this during December’s meeting – two years after the planned closure of the building was meant to have taken place.

Conservative councillor Mino Manekshaw felt the council “itself does not seem to be aware of what was happening” with the customer services centre.

“The organisation (StAndEN) feels quite fervently the building was closing and it was stepping into rescue it,” he said at the time.

“The councillors were totally unaware of the changed status.”

The appeal hearing continues at 10am on Monday, and can be watched via Fife Council’s website.