Freemasons throughout the West Midlands have vowed to continue their work despite the Valentine Day’s closure of their banqueting supplier.
The Masons movement has put its landmark city conference centre up for sale as caterers Clarendon Suites prepare for closure with the loss of up to 60 jobs.
Property consultant GVA has announced it is looking for a buyer for the Clarendon Suites building in Edgbaston.
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Staff at the centre, off Hagley Road, were called to a meeting last month and told the company was to close.
A member of staff, who asked not to be named, said: “All we know is that we are trading until Friday when we will all be made redundant. The venue is up for sale.
“There is a lot of bitterness among staff. They are very vague as to what they are telling us. A few people have got new jobs already.”
A range of jobs are affected by the closure, including chefs, administrative staff, the wages department and cleaners.
But David Macey, provincial grandmaster for Warwickshire for the Freemasons, said the masons would continue to hold functions despite the liquidation of the Clarendon Suites.
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“Masonically, it is open as normal, although the banqueting business ceases to trade on Friday.
“We have put the premises up for sale on the open market so that we can move to smaller premises, probably in the southern part of the city, which are more suitable for our needs.”
GVA said it was considering both wholly unconditional offers for the site as well as conditional offers – subject to planning – for the wholesale redevelopment of the plot.
Mark Birks from GVA said: “The site’s prominent position on Hagley Road makes it suitable for a range of options, including residential, leisure and healthcare uses.
“The site is enhanced by a resolution for residential planning consent for 84 residential units granted last year which establishes some interesting principles in terms of layout and massing.”
David Macey added in a statement: “The Hagley Road site is exceedingly prominent but is now too large for our requirements. We are now looking for either new or refurbished space of between 15,000 to 20,000 sq ft.
“We are confident that with its location, transport connectivity and open space, GVA will be able to find a buyer for the Hagley Road site.”
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A statement from Baker Tilly said: “Nicholas Lee and Dilip Dattani of Baker Tilly have been appointed by the board of directors of The Clarendon Suites Limited to convene meetings to place the company into voluntary liquidation.
“The creditors meeting, at which liquidators are expected to be appointed, is due to take place on Friday, February 14.”