Unknown bidder offers £120k to buy former Ex Services Club in Scunthorpe
An unknown buyer has come in with a £120,000 bid to buy the former Ex-Services Club in Scunthorpe – 10 months after the property in Berkeley Street was put up for sale.
The deal was ratified by a special meeting of 60 former members earlier this month at the nearby Foxhills Institute.
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The Scunthorpe Ex-Services Club building on Berkeley Street
Acting chairman Simon Ashley told The Fly: "It is a big relief. We can now get round to paying off the club's debts including any monies owed to former employees."
Under the club rules, the proceeds from the sale after all debts have been cleared will be shared among the 250 members at the time of the closure on November 22 last year.
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Mr Ashley said under the rules there was no time limit on membership in order to qualify for a share as long as the £3.50 annual subscription had been paid by the closure date.
He added: "We expect the sale to be concluded next week. At this stage we do not know the scale of the debt and the size of the payment to the former members."
The identity of the buyer, who is reported to want to convert the former Ex-Services Club into a community pub, is not yet known.
It is believed the building was bequeathed in 1922 by the town's former MP Sir Berkeley Sheffield with a covenant that it was used as a bar in which returning servicemen and women could enjoy a drink.
Mr Ashley who has been supported in a steering committee since the closure by Pete French and Alex McCullack, said the business ceased trading after bailiffs from the council called to collect unpaid rates.
Meanwhile a deal is understand to have been struck to buy the former White Swan hotel-restaurant at Scotter for £850,000.
The business, which at one time employed 47 staff, was closed down in May last year after the former owners went into administration.
The North Lincolnshire-based development company – said to be at the centre of the White Swan deal – has this month been recruiting a manager and assistant, a head chef and support staff, plus bar tenders to help relaunch the business
It is understood there will also be a name change for the village local, which dates back to the 18th century and boasts 15 bedrooms and a 120-cover restaurant.
There's also good news from The Corn Exchange club at Barton-Upon-Humber where officials are seeking an extension of hours to keep up with trade.
The 500-member club wants permission from North Lincolnshire Council to trade from 9.30am until 2am Monday to Saturday and from 9.30am until midnight on a Sunday.
The Exchange, which dates back to 1853, has been in profit for the past four years and is seeking the extension to cope with a change in the drinking habits of the growing membership.
Comments
by Sparks2400
Thursday, September 27 2012, 4:32PM
“Next move Walter will be planning permission for conversion to flats.”
by WalterGulag
Thursday, September 27 2012, 1:56PM
“It's a very brave move considering the number of pubs in that area which have lost the struggle to keep their doors open. One would hope the new owners have a fresh and bold approach and money to back it up rather than just good intentions. It's location is not the best to draw people off the beaten path (And even thoses that are aren't doing well) so it's a high risk project.
Times are changing. The days of the workers coming back from the Steel Works and heading to the pub to play dominos and darts have long gone. So I wonder just who will replace them? Now folks are more likely to buy a six pack and sit infront of the telly. If they want to chat to someone they fire up facebook instead. I wonder just how anyone can draw people out in the numbers needed each night to keep any local pub going?”