Court papers reveal Kibble feasibility study on Saints-owned site

Kibble was considering St Mirren FC-owned land as a possible location for its wellbeing centre, court documents suggest.

- EDEL KENEALY

Papers, put before the Court of Session in Edinburgh, reveal the children's charity commissioned a feasibility study of the Ferguslie Park site as a potential location for its wellbeing centre.

It had, the court was told, identified land to the north of the SMISA stadium as a potential location, as well as sites in Lochwinnoch and Paisley.

Architecture firm Stallan-Brand was instructed to carry out the feasibility study in September 2021 - 18 months after Kibble secured a 27.5 per cent stake in St Mirren FC (SMFC).

Kibble refused to comment on the feasibility study as part of a detailed inquiry which was submitted by the Express this week.

The documents were put before the Court of Session as part of a defamation case brought by Kibble chief executive Jim Gillespie and Mark MacMillan, Kibble's director of corporate services.

The pair - who represent Kibble on the Buddies board - lodged a defamation case against Mr Wardrop who claimed the men had acted dishonestly.

He alleged they were using Kibble's position as a shareholder in St Mirren to push through secret plans for the wellbeing centre on land owned by the football club.

Last week, Judge Clark ruled the Kibble bosses had no "secret plan" to build on the land and, further, that they had not lied to "cover up" their actions. He also found that Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan had no plan to buy the shares in SMFC in order to obtain that land.

Mr Wardrop was found to have defamed Mr Gillespie and Mr MacMillan on this basis.