Dawlish News
£250,000 Empty Building Gives Council "Bill Of Shame"
The council-owned Park Road building will end up costing electors £250,000 despite it lying unused for the last 12 months.
Furious residents say they want an opology and have designed a placard bearing the image of a white elephant and handed it over to the council's finance and general purposes committe.
The council bought the premises at 34 Park Road, Dawlish in February 2010 at the price of £165,000 serviced by a loan from the Public Works Loan Board. The building was acquired by Dawlish Town Council a year ago as part of its aborted plan to sell off the Manor House.
The council say they can't afford to repair the gents toilet in the Manor House during this financial year and yet they have already wasted £15,000 on this white elephant which remains locked and empty said Michael Clayson.
Cllr Geoff Wills said at a town council meeting this week that a lease recommendation to rent out the Park Road building because 'no definite decision' had been made about the Manor House. Campaingners to save the Manor House have interpreted that as a meaning the Manor House could still be up for sale!
In October 2009 the council revealed that it wanted to sell off the Manor House and move into the former Salvation Army in Park Road.
