The National Trust for Scotland's (NTS) plans to sell its Edinburgh headquarters could lead to the troubled conservation organisation having to repay almost £7m to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
An NTS spokeswoman confirmed that because Wemyss House was refurbished with two grants awarded by the HLF, totalling £6.9m in 1996, a proportion of this sum would have to be refunded if the building was sold.
"Wemyss House is on the market," she added. "No deals have been done."
An HLF spokeswoman said: "The grants were awarded so that these historic Georgian properties could be preserved and made accessible for the enjoyment of everyone.
"In the event that a grantee sells a property we have supported, we must recover our investment. This provision is contained in all our grant contracts, so the NTS has always been aware of the need to account for recovery of the grant in the event of a sale."
The cash-strapped conservation organisation has suffered a turbulent 12 months during which it has been forced to axe 65 staff and close at least four properties. The moves are part of a cost-cutting exercise to "reduce our cost base by £3m over three years", according to an NTS spokeswoman.
The NTS has also denied reports in the Scottish press that it is set to sell off some of its properties to raise funds.
Chief executive Kate Mavor said: "The inalienable properties of the NTS are not under threat of sell-off. Our purpose is to protect and promote Scotland's heritage for the benefit of the nation. This underpins all that we do."
But she added: "It is broadly agreed that the current governance of the trust needs improvement and updating. No decisions have yet been taken about the scope of the [forthcoming governance] review and who will lead it. Proposals will come to our next council meeting at the end of October."
Meanwhile, a no-confidence motion, which was set to be discussed at the NTS annual general meeting in September, was withdrawn.
An NTS spokeswoman confirmed that because Wemyss House was refurbished with two grants awarded by the HLF, totalling £6.9m in 1996, a proportion of this sum would have to be refunded if the building was sold.
"Wemyss House is on the market," she added. "No deals have been done."
An HLF spokeswoman said: "The grants were awarded so that these historic Georgian properties could be preserved and made accessible for the enjoyment of everyone.
"In the event that a grantee sells a property we have supported, we must recover our investment. This provision is contained in all our grant contracts, so the NTS has always been aware of the need to account for recovery of the grant in the event of a sale."
The cash-strapped conservation organisation has suffered a turbulent 12 months during which it has been forced to axe 65 staff and close at least four properties. The moves are part of a cost-cutting exercise to "reduce our cost base by £3m over three years", according to an NTS spokeswoman.
The NTS has also denied reports in the Scottish press that it is set to sell off some of its properties to raise funds.
Chief executive Kate Mavor said: "The inalienable properties of the NTS are not under threat of sell-off. Our purpose is to protect and promote Scotland's heritage for the benefit of the nation. This underpins all that we do."
But she added: "It is broadly agreed that the current governance of the trust needs improvement and updating. No decisions have yet been taken about the scope of the [forthcoming governance] review and who will lead it. Proposals will come to our next council meeting at the end of October."
Meanwhile, a no-confidence motion, which was set to be discussed at the NTS annual general meeting in September, was withdrawn.
