Ashfield businessman says council showed no interest in his plans for failed Teversal Grange

The Teversal Grange Country Inn is to be demolished after councillors said it did not have any future and was too expensive to keep as a going concern.

The building has remained boarded up since May 2013 when previous tenants vacated it leaving behind significant unpaid debts.

A meeting of the ADC Charities Committee heard that there had been no suitable applicants for the Grange, which would cost £150,000 to bring up to standard.

But speaking after the meeting on Wednesday, Kirkby businessman Chris Hacket said the council had not shown any interest in his potential plans to turn the Grange into a viable operation.

He said: “We were looking at opening a snooker academy in Sutton - the nearest one is one in Sheffield.

“We tried to communicate with the council about the Grange but they were not interested at all.

“I phoned them five or six times and they kept saying they would get back to me and there was nobody in the office.

“When I eventually spoke to the person concerned he basically said put in an offer in writing. I told him couldn’t do that until I had inspected the building.

He just said he would get back to me if they didn’t decide to knock it down.

“They don’t seem interested at all - and they said in the meeting people were not coming forward.

“I think they are just not trying enough. It seems like nobody is listening to each other. It is ridiculous.”

A council spokesman said: “Before the building was let to the last occupier, only two applications and associated business cases were received.

“All persons who made contact with the council were encouraged to follow up their interest with firm proposals. Records to do not show any such proposals were received from Mr Hackett at that time and the council is therefore not able to comment on the feasibility of his ideas.

“It is correct to say that he has recently contacted the council and any proposals he may have will be considered.”