A businessman is concerned the former Deal Angling Club HQ has been leased without being advertised to the public.

Mark Woolls, who runs Pier View Amusements in the town, said the former clubhouse should have gone up for tender instead of the district council deciding to lease it as a cafe for cyclists and a repair shop.

The building, owned by Dover District Council, is situated between the Royal Hotel and the pier and was converted from toilets into the angling club HQ in 1987 – although for the past two years it has only been used to house deep freezers for the club’s fish and shellfish stall in South Parade.

Mr Woolls said: “What we wanted to do was turn it back into toilets and changing rooms, lockers and showers, and we would be happy to pay a rent to the council and maintain it ourselves.

“The seafront is getting busier in summer and there’s nowhere for them to change. Most seaside places have these facilities.”

However, the Platform 1 consortium, which runs Platform 1 cafe at Deal railway station, is the new leaseholder of the building and plans to turn it into a cafe aimed primarily at cyclists who pass through the stretch on National Cycle Route 1.

Mr Woolls said: “I can’t understand why it hasn’t been put up for tender like the cafe at the end of the pier and the Regent.”

A spokesman for Dover District Council said: “This did not have to be put out to tender as we are not procuring a service, but are leasing a building. The decision to lease to the Platform 1 consortium was made by cabinet.”

In July 2013, the cabinet agreed to buy the former toilet block from the angling club and lease it back.

A report about the decision on the district council website states: “This council has not yet advertised the potential availability of this building, however over the past year or so we have been approached by three separate parties who have expressed varying degrees of interest in taking over this former toilet block for commercial use.”

The report claims the cyclist cafe was the preferred option.

“I can’t understand why it hasn’t been put up for tender." - Mark Woolls.

It states that under this option the council would benefit from the preparatory work being undertaken by the interested party, who were keen to move forward quickly, subject to planning consent being granted for change of use.

It also states this proposal has support of the current tenant and an agreement has been made so seafood can still be accommodated, adding: “This is the preferred option as the scheme is well advanced and would not involve the council in a large financial outlay.”

However, despite this agreement, Deal Town Council voted to recommend the planning application for refusal at its last meeting.

The final decision will be made by Dover District Council’s planning committee.