Windmill Sale Blunders

CONTROVERSY over the future of Littlehampton's Windmill theatre/cinema descended from drama into farce this week after a catalogue of blunders were found in a marketing brief for the venue.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Oct 2002, 12:54 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 01:08 BST

Consultants Humberts Leisure, taken on by Arun District Council to market the Windmill to businesses or organisations which might be interested in taking over the entertainment complex, has apologised to Arun for the embarrassing errors and withdrawn the document.

Humberts sent out a draft marketing brief outlining how the Windmill might be run in future, the background to Arun disposing of the venue and conditions for potential new owners/managers instead of an amended version which took into account the concerns of town councillors and the Windmill Action Group (WAG).

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There were also mistakes in the brief, and in an advertisement placed by Humberts in the local press which gave the impression Arun was interested purely in selling the Windmill, and only to a private company.

Both the advertisement and the draft marketing brief sparked anger and alarm among WAG supporters and town councillors, who felt their comments made to Arun had been completely overlooked when the brief appeared last week.

Arun council leader Norman Dingemans unaware of the scale of the mistakes made by Humberts fielded an hour of hostile questions about the Windmill on Wednesday night at a public question and answer session at the town council chamber.

The following night, the town council passed a motion of no confidence in Arun over its handling of the Windmill's future, and its failure to hold proper consultations with the town council and WAG.

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In a statement released this week, Arun detailed the mistakes made by Humberts, including inaccurate information about the Windmill's condition, suggesting a majority of repairs had been carried out, when in fact 290,000 of work remains.

The document also offered the building either on a freehold or leasehold basis. In fact, the site is only on offer for a leasehold period.

Arun has ordered Humberts to withdraw the marketing brief and issue the corrected version, once it has been considered by WAG and the town council. The timescale for applications from interested parties will also be extended.

Mr Dingemans said Arun remained committed to the Windmill remaining as a community facility for theatre and cinema. Anyone proposing an alternative use for the site would have to replace the venue in a suitable, alternative location.

Commenting on Humberts' mistakes, he added: "It has been very embarrassing for the council."

Related topics:Arun District Council