A PARISH council faces legal action and further calls for resignations over the controversial sale of a community asset.

More than ten residents have signed an open letter to the group of seven councillors that have backed the sale of 5-7 High Street, Bembridge.

It calls for those members to halt the sale, renew the leases and tender their immediate resignation after the parish council accepted a lower offer for the property.

As previously reported, the selling of 5-7 High Street, Bembridge, has proved highly controversial in the village, with local residents voting against the move in two parish polls.

This week, Peter Burke, who has an office there, told the County Press he had attempted to buy the building for the community but his initial offer — which included a buy-back option for a future parish council or community group — was rejected.

He said he increased it by £15,000 and added a further incentive — to keep the public toilets open at an annual peppercorn rent of £1 — but that too was turned down, he claimed, in favour of a lower offer. Soon after, he claimed his lease renewal was withdrawn.

Mr Burke said he was now taking legal action against the council over its decision to accept a lower offer.

He said: "It would be a disaster for me to have to move and it's a glorious space that has been a great place for me to work for the past decade.

"I still think it could make a great community art gallery or parish space in the future."

A councillor who voted against the sale, Alasdair Steine, told the CP he could not understand why a lower offer for the building had been accepted.

One resident said all the decisions had been made secretly and none had been announced officially to the village community.

Bembridge Parish Council declined to comment when the County Press contacted it for a statement.