THE fate of a popular rare-breeds farm hangs in the balance as councillors prepare to meet in Aberdeen tomorrow to decide its future.
A plan to save Doonies farm from closure under the city council’s budget cuts will be considered at a meeting of the urgent-business committee.
Local authority officials have advised councillors to agree to begin transferring control of the farm to Friends of Doonies (FoD), a group that campaigned against its closure before formulating a business plan for its future.
Doubts remain over whether councillors will back the proposal, however, after concerns were expressed about the viability of the business plan.
Officials have recommended entering into a transitional agreement and licence deal with FoD but simultaneously readying a contingency plan to shut the farm down if the group finds itself unable to pay the full running costs in any month.
“There are a number of issues that remain to be resolved to the satisfaction of the city chamberlain and the city solicitor,” a report to councillors says.
City chamberlain Susan Cooper says in the report that plans to increase visitor numbers by 43% in the first year are “ambitious”
“I would have concerns that the business plan shows a deficit year on year, and in year three the cash flow is also reflecting this,” she says.
They will literally be living month to month and any sudden blip in their cash flow and they could be facing a difficult position financially.”
Ms Cooper concludes: “Overall, I would not be comfortable that, with the information I have been provided, that the company has provided a robust and sustainable financial plan without some form of financial assistance from the council.”
The farm’s closure was announced as part of February’s council budget, with the financially troubled local authority hoping to save £100,000 this year and £130,000 each year after.
If the farm was to be closed, the animals would be sold and the staff redeployed.
FoD campaigner John Sleigh said his group’s business plan was at an advanced stage.
“I hope councillors recognise that in the current financial climate we are going to give them an option to keep it open,” he said.