Council's £1 asset sales revealed

EXCLUSIVE by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

Two plots of publicly owned development land in the Scottish Borders - valued at £495,000 and £200,000 according to a local authority assets register - were sold for just £1 each to a housing association, a response to a Freedom of Information request has shown.

The council had been asked for details of all asset sale transactions since the turn of the current century by a requester with the authority's three-page reply now posted on the internet. The cash gained from more than 100 sales of land and property are available although in many cases the identity of the buyer(s) has been redacted.

According to the list supplied by SBC, the Guthrie Drive Development Site in Hawick was sold to Eildon Housing Association on March 12th 2019 for a pound. This is the full entry in the FOI response with its reference number:

HW068/02 Guthrie Drive Development Site - SOLD Guthrie Drive Hawick Sold to Eildon Housing Association, Registered office, The Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, TD7 5EB for the sum of £1 (if asked) dated 12/03/2019

A 97-page asset register dated 2015 which is available on the council's website includes net book values [NBV] for all land and property in SBC ownership at that time. The register records:

HW068/02 - Guthrie Drive Development Site Guthrie Drive, Hawick, ROX, TD9 7QQ  Property Plant and Equipment 01/04/2013 495,000.00.  The date 01/04/2013 refers to the date the Guthrie Drive site was valued.

A similar set of circumstances apply to the sale of the Springwell Brae Development Site in the Peeblesshire village of Broughton.

The information supplied to the FOI requester states:

BR001/01 Springwell Brae Development Site - SOLD Springwell Brae Broughton Sold to Eildon Housing Association Ltd, Registered Office, The Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, TD7 5EB dated 23/03/2018 for the sum of £1 if asked.

And the 2015 asset register shows:

BR001/01 - Springwell Brae Development Site Springwell Brae, Broughton, TWD, ML12 6FE 0 Property Plant and Equipment 01/04/2013 200,000.00

There is no indication in the council's document as to the meaning of the words 'if asked' which appears in both the Guthrie Drive and Springwell Brae entries.

Eildon Housing Association is the main developer and provider of new affordable housing in the Scottish Borders. Their £1.9 million development of the Springwell Brae site provided 11 new homes.

The council's response also shows the cash generated by the sale of former primary and secondary schools, outdoor studies centres and local government offices as well as greenfield and brownfield sites.

These are some of the transactions taken from the published information:

AS001/01 Ashkirk Primary School - SOLD Ashkirk Building Sold to (name redacted) dated 9 November 2009 for the sum of £95,300. CL002/01 Caddonfoot Primary School - SOLD Clovenfords Sold to Xafinity Pension Trustees Limited re The Johnston Joint SIPP Registered Office, Phoenix House, 1 Station Hill, Reading, RG1 1NB dated 10 July 2015 for the sum of £106,100.

 DN003/01 Duns Local Office 14 Newtown Street - SOLD 14 Newtown Street Duns Building Sold to (redacted) dated 13 June 2014 for the sum of £170,700 - Additional funds may be due under missives depending on level of developer contributions (Purchaser`s Solicitor holding £15k on deposit).

 DN005/02 Lanark Lodge Bungalow (SB Cares) (SOLD) (Remove from TF 22/23) Sold Bridgend Duns Building Sold to (redacted) on 3 September 2021 for the sum of £160,000.

 ER003/02 Former Earlston High School Site - SOLD High Street Earlston Sold to Eildon Housing Association Ltd, the Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, TD7 5EB, dated 31/03/2017 for the sum of £450,000.

 GD001/01 Glendouglas Primary School - SOLD Glendouglas Sold to (redacted) dated 19 July 2010 for the sum of £206,156.

 GL061/01 Land at Easter Langlee - SOLD Easter Langlee Ind Estate Galashiels Sold to Eildon Housing Association Ltd, Registered Office at The Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, TD7 5EB for the sum of £705,000 dated 14th October 2016.

 GT002/01 Grantshouse Outdoor Study Centre - SOLD Grantshouse Sold to (redacted) dated 4th May 2018 for the sum of £75,000.

 HW056/02 Galalaw Farmhouse/Buildings - SOLD Galalaw Hawick Sold by SBC & Scottish Enterprise Borders to (redacted) dated 26 August 2010 for the sum of £305,000.

 HW077/01 Land at Hamilton Road Burnfoot - SOLD Hamilton Road Hawick Land Sales of land 1.933 hectares to The Three Stills Company Ltd, The Borders Distillery, Commercial Road, Hawick TD9 7AQ dated 1 May 2019 for the sum of £220,000.

 JD019/01 Jedburgh Contact Centre - SOLD 3 Exchange Street Jedburgh Sold to (redacted) dated 18 December 2015, £125,000. JD019/02 Jedburgh Provost Room - SOLD 3 Exchange Street Jedburgh Building Sold to (redacted) dated 18 December 2015, £125,000.  JD019/03 Upper Floor Offices - 3 Exchange Street - SOLD 3 Exchange Street Jedburgh Building Sold to (redacted) on the 18th December 2015 for the sum of £125,000

 KL006/01 Kelso High School - Sold Bowmont Street Kelso Building Part Sale to Eildon Housing Association Ltd, The Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk dated 29/03/2019 for the sum of £725,000. Remaining sale to M&J Ballantyne Ltd, 24 Shedden Park Road, Kelso TD5 7AL on 26/3/2021 for the sum of £390,000.

 KL015/07 Unit D Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate - SOLD Pinnaclehill Kelso Building Sold to Plexus Corp (UK) Ltd dated 9 February 2010 £1.00. KL016/01 Kelso Area Office - Sold Rose Lane Kelso Building Sold to FBR Seed Ltd, Academy House, Shedden Park Road, Kelso TD5 7AL dated 15 November 2019 for the sum of £175,246.

 LD002/01 Lauder Primary School (Old) - SOLD Crofts Road Lauder Sold to Eildon Housing Association Limited, The Weaving Shed, Ettrick Mill, Dunsdale Road, Selkirk, TD7 5EP dated 29 June 2010 for the sum of £235,000.

 ML004/01 St Dunstans Office - SOLD High Street Melrose Sold on the 9th February 2016 for £275,000.00 to (redacted).

 RT002/01 Roberton Primary School - SOLD Roberton Sold to (redacted) dated 28 August 2013 for the sum of £90,000.

 ST002/01 Stow Primary School (Old) - SOLD Galashiels Road Stow Building Sold to Phingask Estates Limited, Registered Office, Netherbrotherstone House, By Heriot, EH38 5YS dated 31/03/2017 for the sum of £120,000.

 TM002/01 Tweedsmuir Outdoor Study Centre - SOLD Tweedsmuir Tweedsmuir Sold to (redacted) dated 8 November 2011 for the sum of £180,000

 WL002/01 West Linton Primary School (Old) - SOLD School Brae West Linton WL002/01 (PS) & WL002/04 (Nursery) Sold to Eskgrove (WL) Limited, registered office 1 Rutland Court, Edinburgh, EH3 8EY dated 07/02/2019 for the sum of £468,000.