The Royal Bank of Scotland has launched a legal bid against both the current and former owners of Crieff’s Drummond Arms Hotel, it has emerged.
Bosses at RBS announced last week they were pulling the plug on the firm’s James Square branch as they deemed it to be unsafe to re-open after the building was damaged following a ceiling collapse at the bank.
The decision was described as a “bombshell” by local MSP Roseanna Cunningham and condemned by Crieff residents.
And the Herald now understands separate court proceedings are ongoing between RBS and the Drummond Arms Hotel’s previous owner, Glasgow councillor Sohan Singh, and the mothballed venue’s current owners – said to be a company called Strathfare Limited.
The case against Sohan Singh relates to a RBS bid to recover the costs of having to move out of their branch when the ceiling collapsed just over a year ago.
Another court case, against Strathfare Limited, seeks permission to sell the branch and hotel under the Tenement (Scotland) Act.
Internet searches show the sole director of Strathfare Limited is listed as Ranjeet Singh, with an address given on Glasgow’s Hope Street – which is the same street as Sohan Singh’s Artto Hotel.
However, hotel staff said they had no knowledge of Ranjeet Singh when contacted by the Herald earlier this week.
Another address listed for Strathfare is via a firm of solicitors at Waterloo Place in Glasgow.
A solicitor there said he would pass on a written request from the Herald asking Mr Singh to comment on his future plans for the Drummond Arms, however, there was no response from Mr Singh by the time the Herald went to press yesterday afternoon (Wednesday).
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said officials will continue working with RBS to try to find a way forward for the future of the bank.
He said a Defective Building Notice has been served on the current owners of the hotel but the company has so far failed to respond to it.
He added: “The Drummond Arms Hotel has been assessed as defective and in need of significant repair but is not in a dangerous condition. The council would only take action if the building were to pose an immediate danger to public health and safety.
“The council cannot reasonably commit to provide the significant level of scarce public funding that would be required to make repairs to this privately owned building. We are seeking a resolution of this matter in conjunction with RBS and the property’s owner.”
*For more on the RBS saga see page three of today’s edition.
