SCOTTISH craft beer company Brewdog has hit out at Aberdeenshire Council, saying the local authority are trying to sell it land for 60 times what it’s worth.
The publicity-loving booze company wants to build a new hotel and visitor’s centre in the north-east town of Ellon, near its HQ.
But it claims bosses at the local authority are trying to flog it land worth just £12,500 for a stonking £750,000.
The council has hit back, saying the brewers are trying to do taxpayers a disservice and get the land on the cheap.
In a statement on its website, the company said it had been “banging our heads against a brick wall with Aberdeenshire Council” for over a year, and that the authority was getting in the way of plans to grow the businesses which would cost the local area “employment, investment and facilities.” It wrote: “We want to build a world-class hotel, outstanding restaurant, conference centre and bespoke distillery just behind our brewery in Ellon. This project would see us invest £5m into the local area and create over 80 new local jobs.
“However, the project cannot go ahead because the council are refusing to sell us the land at fair market value, indeed, they are insisting on charging over 60 times fair market value for the land we need to make this exciting local project happen.”
The beer makers went on to say surveyor DM Hall had suggested a market value of £5,000 per acre, but when plans were submitted to the council, bosses they said it would cost them £300,000 an acre.
Chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council Jim Savage accused the brewer of trying to negotiate by media: “There are ongoing protracted negotiations with Brewdog and this announcement appears to be intended to weaken the council’s position,” Savage argued.
He said it was his job to reach an agreement that was “fair to both parties and which protects the interests of the local taxpayer, as well as creating opportunities for residents”.
He added: “At the heart of this is issue is that the land Brewdog wants has been already earmarked for the expansion of the local cemetery. We cannot sell land vastly below market value – the figure Brewdog has been asked to meet is what the land is worth right now. Their suggested land value is more representative of agricultural value than a site which has permission for an alternative use.”
Local politicians, including MP Alex Salmond and MSP Gillian Martin, have written to the council in an attempt to get more information.
Martin told the National, she found Brewdog’s allegations “very worrying”.
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