1979
Apr 27 Future of the Pavilion
At an adjourned meeting of the Dingwall Licensing Board last week members considered an application by Highland Lass Estates, 84 High Street, Johnstone for the renewal of the licences for the Spa Pavilion, Strathpeffer in the name of their manager, MR I M C Robertson. The premises include a concert Hall and 2 bars. Mr Michael Macmillan, solicitor, Alness for the applicants stated that the matter was a headache for the Board, for the Company and for their advisers. It had been continued from the Board meeting in March because there had not been time to consider letters which had been raised by the Firemaster and the department of Environmental Health. On 30th March the chairman of the holding group to whom the company belonged issued a statement saying it was felt in present circumstances the Spa was simply not capable of operating at a profit. In the light of their inability to negotiate a fair figure with the Assessor to keep the rates down and carry out the requirements set out by the Firemaster and Department of Environmental Health in their letters the whole future of the Spa was one of considerable doubt and difficulty.
It might not be possible for the company to give the Board an undertaking that they would be able to carry out all the items listed in the letters. The company had decided they could not spend any more money on the Spa in the circumstances.
There were three possibilities:- Changing circumstances could enable the work to be done later; a purchaser for the premises could be found; or a lessee could take over the building.
Mr Macmillan suggested as a compromise that the Board should reserve their decision on the licence until their October meeting.
It would be understood that if the matter was still in limbo at the end of that period the Board would have no option but to refuse the licence.
Mr Macmillan said that although there was no money to spend on improvements at present this was not to say it would not be kept tidy.
Mr Eric Simpson, Strathpeffer, said he was concerned the building might become an eyesore. Mr Macmillan told the Board that if the decision was deferred the company would undertake not to open the bars unless they were able to carry out the requirements of the Firemaster and Environmental Health Department. There would be no bars and no cabaret.
After a retirement the Board announced that the licence would be renewed on condition that all the fire, safety and environmental health requirements were carried out within 6 months.
May 4 Concern was expressed by SCASS that a building of such importance to the village as the Pavilion should be unused while the owners considered new uses for it in future and that some alternative entertainment be made available for visitors perhaps by the Community Centre Committee.
Jun 16 The first Victorian Week programme was not as big as planned since the closure of the Pavilion for public performances had caused the abandonment of a series of evening shows.
Jun 24 – Aug 30
The Highland Fling season ran in the Town Hall, Dingwall each Thursday at 8.30.
Free admission with a collection for charity.
Nov 2 STRATHPEFFER PAVILION
Mr Macmillan, solicitor, Alness, representing Highland Lass estates who run the Spa Pavilion, Strathpeffer, introduced Mr W R McCreadie, Quantity Surveyor and Surveyor to the Burnhill Group of Companies.
He said that over the past six months the Group had advertised the premises for lease or sale and had received four replies. Two major companies had shown interest initially but when informed of the amount of work involved in bringing the building up to environmental and fire prevention standards showed no further interest considering it to be too expensive. The Highland Regional Council’s development officer had been approached and promised to look into the question of the premises being used as a permanent Exhibition Hall, agreeing that it was too good a building to be redundant. The third area which interested them was the valuation of the property. After two meetings with the Assessor the Gross Annual Value was reduced from £12,500 to 38350 and the Net Annual value from £10,412 to £6995. However the company felt this was still too high based on the previous two years’ figures when the premises were successful. The introduction of additional licences in the village had further eroded the company’s takings and the company maintained that the Assessor had refused to take this into account.
Mr McCreadie said the cost of meeting the environmental and fire requirements were something like £40,000 and this had put people off. The company had carried out such work as drain cleaning but had not proceeded with the more expensive options such as re-wiring, fire proofing lining, toilets, etc. The company took the view that there would be no return from present day activities, such as dances, which prior to closure were running at a loss, to warrant the expenditure of £40,000.
Mr Macmillan added that since April the company had been looking at ways and means of carrying out the work but now they were in the most regrettable position that they could not carry out the Licensing Board’s requirements.
Mr G D Finlayson, Muir of Ord, hoped the company would maintain the environs of the Pavilion to as high a standard as it had been before. Mr McCreadie said the company had no intention of neglecting the Pavilion. It was an asset and they had no thought of letting it deteriorate. However as it was at present they could not see their way to making major capital expenditure on the Spa.
The Board therefore suspended the licence for the Pavilion until environmental and fire recommendations had been satisfactorily attended to.
With apologies to the Beatles
“And in the end the cash you take is equal to the cash you make”