ONE of Scotland's most exclusive suburbs has been rocked by a row over a multi-million pound windfall for a bowling club.
Whitecraigs Bowling Club want to sell out to a house developer, who plans to build retirement flats in the hallowed Broom Estate near Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire.
But the bowling club membership has been accused by one neighbour of "greed, self-interest and the lust for a few pieces of silver."
Builder McCarthy and Stone is waiting in the wings as the dispute prepares to play out at the Lands Tribunal in Edinburgh.
Under ancient feudal laws, construction of the flats is prohibited unless the current owners can have certain title conditions set aside, including restriction of buildings on the site to "single villas or dwellinghouses, each consisting of no fewer than five rooms".
One resident, PR boss Jack Irvine, is objecting to the Lands Tribunal.
In a strongly-worded letter to club president Gary Rank, Mr Irvine wrote:"It appears that greed, self-interest and the lust for a few pieces of silver have caused the once highly-respected members of your club to throw tradition and history to the wind."
In their application to the Lands Tribunal, the office bearers of the club claim that membership numbers are dwindling and the club has "a lack of financial resources and funds".
They point out that four-storey flats have been built opposite the club and that the proposed development for their green "will be in keeping with the character of the area."
A spokesman for the Lands Tribunal for Scotland said that if objections are raised, the matter will go to a hearing, which will include a site visit. The feudal system has been abolished in Scotland but some burdens remain in force.
Mr Rank and other office bearers of Whitecraigs Bowling Club did not respond to requests for comment.
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