Victoria Weldon and David Leask A sheriff yesterday ordered the owner of a leading city venue to honour an unpaid bill from a consultant.
Colin Beattie, who owns and runs Glasgow's Oran Mor along with a string of bars and restaurants around the city, was told he must pay Peter Dundas £18,800 for his role in developing the converted west end church into a highly successful bar, restaurant and theatre.
Oran Mor, the former Old Kelvinside Parish Church, opened four years ago after an £8m refurbishment, including a ceiling painted by writer and artist Alasdair Gray.
Mr Dundas helped organise its launch over six months and submitted an invoice for £32,000 in August 2004, but received just £10,000.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that Mr Dundas had been appointed by Mr Beattie's business partner, George Swanson, a former footballer and nightclub owner, to oversee "the front of house or retail service aspect of operating the business".
The consultant adopted that role and was looked upon as the manager by most staff members working alongside him in the lead-up to the club's opening in June 2004.
He organised food and drink supplies, technical arrangements and staffing, as well as "information on how the building was going to operate".
Mr Beattie claimed that it was only after Mr Dundas left the club at the end of June that cracks began to show.
But Sheriff Craig Scott said: "There was no record of contemporaneous exception having been taken to the pursuer's standard of work or performance while he was still involved in the Oran Mor project.
"However, the defenders argued that problems emerged once the pursuer had departed the scene."
Sheriff Scott also highlighted that no payment agreement had been reached prior to Mr Dundas starting work on the project. He added: "The singularly unfortunate aspect of Mr Swanson's role in recruiting the pursuer was that he failed to agree payment terms."
The sheriff went on: "I am persuaded that the pursuer did a job of work for the defenders which merits some further remuneration and as such I have granted decree in the sum of £18,800."
Mr Beattie said after the ruling: "We are going to appeal against this decision but have no other comment to make."
He trades through a firm called Skerrymore and also owns or has owned several other bars, including the Lismore in Partick.
Last year, he crossed swords with another club tycoon, Stefan King, after he opened a spin-off from Oran Mor, the Byre, at the bottom of Byres Road. Mr King claimed he had already registered the name The Byre. There had even been some speculation that Mr King had earmarked the name for his proposed, but now abandoned plans, for a nightclub/venue in the Botanic Gardens. That club would have been very close to Oran Mor, which is at the junction of Byres Road and Great Western Road.
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