Councillors will decide today whether to take over the running of Thomas Blake Glover House in Aberdeen and save it from further decay.
The house in Balgownie Road, Bridge of Don is the childhood home of Glover, known as the Scottish Samurai, who is credited with founding both modern Japanese society and the Mitsubishi conglomerate.
In Japan, Fraserburgh-born Glover’s old house in Nagazaki attracts more than 2million visitors a year but in Aberdeen, his former home has been boarded up and abandoned for two years.
Members of the finance, policy and resources committee will vote on whether to take over ownership of the house from the Japan Grampian Trust amid increasing sensitivity surrounding the property.
The full report on the financial considerations remains a private document.
Councillor John Reynolds will abstain on today’s vote given he is a private trustee of the JGT, which was gifted the house by Mitsubishi in the 1990s. He said: “I would love the property to be reopened, particularly the ground floor which is ideal for a reception area.
“I think ideally it could be a shared building and we could have council staff and other associated people upstairs and keep the bottom floor as an education space.
“A lot of professional people want to get involved but much of it is dependent on how the committee will vote.”
The house, worth around £660,000, was gifted to the city by Mitsubishi as a mark of respect to Glover’s legacy and to insure that future generations knew of his achievements. It is understood there is now some tension between the company and city leaders over the loss of the house from public use.
Peter Clusky , head of government relations at Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe, met with finance convener Willie Young and councillor Ross Thomson (Conservative, Hazlehead/Ashley/Queens Cross) on Monday to discuss council plans for the property.
Both council members and Mr Clusky declined to comment on the meeting.
Aberdeen City Council is keen to reopen the building with the help of private investment from companies who have strong links to Japan, such as Mitsubishi and Aberdeen Asset Management.
It could become the home of economic development between Scotland and Japan, with hopes that the Glover story will help draw visitors and investment to the north-east.