Sainsbury's buy site of fire pub
Published 12 Jan 2012 12:00
THE council is being accused of withholding "significant" information from the public following revelations that Sainsbury's already control part of the pier.
The Mariners pub site, located opposite Sinclair Street, was bought by an agent of Sainsbury's last autumn, the Advertiser understands.
The pub was destroyed in a fire in 2010.
The site is understood to have been bought by a Portsmouth-based company, listed as an "agent, rent and service charge collector" for Sainsbury's.
Argyll and Bute Council also made a bid for the site, but is believed to have been outbid by the agent, who paid a six-figure sum.
Sainsbury's has not denied the claims and Councillor Vivien Dance says council officers' refused to clearly mark this on pierhead consultation drawings - which, she said, is fuelling rumours that some kind of deal has been done with Sainsbury's.
The documents identify the site, in a yellow outline on page 12 of the draft masterplan which is available on the council's website, as being unowned by the council. But is does not state who the owner is.
Now the councillor is encouraging those attending Argyll and Bute Council's pierhead public consultation days tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday, to quiz officers on the situation.
* Full story in this week's Advertiser
This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 12 Jan 12
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
