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Aberdeenshire town hall group forced to fold following “impasse” with council

Stonehaven Town Hall
Stonehaven Town Hall

A community group keeping an Aberdeenshire town hall in nick for years has been forced to fold following a clash with the local authority.

The Stonehaven Town Hall Trust has been forced into “dormancy” after discussions around a community asset transfer of the building from Aberdeenshire Council ended in an impasse.

Chairman of the group, David Cooper, claimed they had “long-running” issues with the council and had recently been prevented from commissioning projects on the building.

He added the trust was unable to take on an asset transfer from the council, which had been the group’s long term aim, on financial grounds.

He said relations with the local authority fell through after the trust sought “financially viable” alternatives to a transfer.

Mr Cooper said: “We have reached the position where the current trust feels we can’t go any further.

“I can’t deny it is a sad situation we have arrived at. There could be some sort of resolution but somebody would have to come across with some money.

“If there is a way forward, that is what we want to do. It is at the point now where we have reached an impasse and just can’t move further forward with it.”

Several of the group’s members will become trustees and remain involved with the hall.

However a council spokesman said: “The council has been trying to work in partnership with the Stonehaven Town Hall Trust for some time to try to find a viable way of transferring the building to the community, unfortunately unsuccessfully.

“We provided funding to enable some improvements and there has been a partnership approach to identifying and, where possible, carrying out work.

“The council recognises the importance of the town hall and welcomes community involvement in its running and management, but it is in nobody’s interest to transfer it to the community without a business plan which shows it would be

financially sustainable and that the community group and its members are not exposed to risk.

“The hall remains an important asset and is not in any danger of closing down.”

He added the council has set up a town hall user’s group which will meet twice a year.