Saundersfoot's historic Barbecue building is to be put up for sale on the open market after the village's community council has rejected the 'harsh' terms of the lease offered by its owners, Pembrokeshire County Council.

The seafront building, which currently houses Saundersfoot's tourist information centre, is likely to fetch more than quarter-of-a-million pounds, some of which would fund the building of a new centre.

Community councillors had hoped to acquire the Barbecue - the village's former colliery office - for a £1-a-year rent and then carry out repairs to create a heritage centre.

But they claim they have been hampered by the 'dogmatic' attitude of Pembrokeshire County Council, whose 'stringent' lease conditions included responsibility to start over £200,000 worth of work within two years and a ban on sub-letting any part of the building to generate income to help with running costs.

Said Saundersfoot Community Council chairman, Councillor Don Poole: "We feel our proposals would benefit our community far more than selling it off to the highest bidder for commercial use, which is presumably now what will happen."

The building was bought for the village in the 1970s by the then Narberth RDC to stop developers moving in, and was run as a food outlet for many years.

It is now in a poor state of repair through 'continued neglect' by the county council, which, said Councillor Poole was a 'significant failure of public stewardship'.

The authority has retaliated by saying the attack by the community council is 'misplaced, wrong and undeserved', although there was sympathy for Cllr Poole's frustration.

Spokesman Len Mullins explained the authority first entered into negotiations with the community council in 1999 when the terms were that the tourist information centre would stay in the building and the community council would retain the income from the kiosks and adjoining newsagents.

In April 2003, consultants advised that the community council would face 'costs, risks and liabilities' if they took the building on.

However, the community council indicated it wished to continue and time to work up the project was allowed, said Mr Mullins, refuting the allegation that the conditions were stringent.

The requirement to start work within two years was a 'very standard condition' to protect the county council's interest in the building, and the sub-letting refusal was for the reasonable case that the community council should only use it for the community purposes it plans and not commercial development, he added.

"The county council recognises the disappointment in some quarters, but feels that every opportunity has been given to allow the community council to come forward with a viable scheme."