Sidmouth's next top restaurant: Drill Hall

But why was agent with potential purchasers selected?

Sidmouth's decaying seafront Drill Hall could be a top notch restaurant or bar. That's East Devon District Council's preferred option.

But officers have been challenged over the appointment of an estate agent to find a buyer. Only one agent, JLL, responded to an invitation to take on the job. And that's raised a question in the mind of Councillor Cathy Gardener, who asked the council's chief executive why an agent who had potential buyers was chosen, when others are available.

She enquired: "Given that there are many commercial property agents to choose from with wider sales expertise, why did JLL make the shortlist and why was no effort put in to secure an agent that does not have major potential purchasers of the Drill Hall as clients? As they were the only one of five agents who responded to the tender – that does not make them the best for this task." Councillor Gardener said she was concerned about a possible "conflict of interest" because, she said, JLL has clients including Whitbred and Premier Inn. 

Mark Williams, the council’s chief executive, explained: “We would expect property agents worth their while to have good contacts among relevant investors. That may include having specific clients who the agent, in this case JLL, are open and transparent about. An agent that did not have links to potential investors wouldn’t be a very good agent."

Commercial bidders will have three months to put in offers, but the first option goes to community groups who may wish to take over the building. They'll have six months to put proposals together, as Drill Hall is deemed to be a community asset. Eighteen months of consultation and community engagement have already taken place, with the consensus being that people would like a high quality restaurant or bar with sea views.