Former Balloch Library to be sold - despite last ditch SNP move to block sale

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The former Balloch Library building on Carrochan Road will be sold, despite a last ditch attempt to block its disposal.Labour councillors on WDC’s infrastructure, regeneration and economic development (IRED) committee gave the green-light to sell the facility to McVey and Burns Property Investment Limited for a figure of £150,000 plus VAT.They say that five offers were received ranging from £70,000 to £150,000 with the proposal from McVey and Burns Property Investment Limited being considered to be the most attractive.

If proposals are approved, the firm plans to turn the site into a residential development.Last year the cash-strapped local authority pushed ahead with plans to relocate the library within the Balloch School Campus - that is already home to two primary schools and an early learning centre.That was despite fierce opposition from parents and residents, who staged a vigil, organised a petition that gathered more than 2,000 signatures and even mounted a legal challenge.However WDC leader Martin Rooney said the relocation was the only way to save jobs, with it hoped that the decision could save WDC around £50,000 annually.And last week the SNP’s Chris Pollock launched a last-ditch bid to block the sale, and attempt to find a way to move the building into community ownership.He said: “Were any of the other four bids community based, for a group similar to a library to use it as a community space in the Lomond Ward.”Councillor Pollock was informed that no community groups had submitted bids.Haldane councillor Hazel Sorrell, of Labour, said that there were none capable of taking on the building.She explained: “I don’t think there are any community groups in the Lomond Ward that would be able to take on the