A multi-million dollar bid to buy Chelston by the Bermuda Government was yesterday slammed as a waste of taxpayers' money.

And Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon said claims that using the luxury mansion as an official home for Premiers was likely -- despite Government insistence that the priority was to save the house and 14-acre grounds for Bermuda.

Ms Gordon said: "If the US -- one of the richest countries in the world -- feels its too opulent for their taxpayers to have to foot the bill, I find it hard to believe that little Bermuda would think it appropriate to take it on.'' And she added that -- in addition to the asking price -- the house and grounds would swallow up hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in maintenance costs.

Ms Gordon said: "This should not be considered when there are so many other issues out there.

"We're still talking about homeless people and the housing concerns which are out there.'' Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott -- responsible for the buying and selling of Government buildings -- confirmed on Tuesday that Government was in the market for Chelston.

But he insisted that using the 10,000-square-foot home as a Premier's house was not the "primary interest'' in eyeing the property and that the matter had not been discussed.

He added that Government would not want to see the property bought over and sub-divided into building lots -- which has been floated in the past.

It is understood that the US -- who have an overseas potential buyer with cash in hand -- is anxious to get the estate off their hands and have set a deadline for a firm offer from Bermuda.

But Ms Gordon said: "The property isn't Bermudian now and it hasn't been for a very long time -- and there are laws which can be used to prevent a sub-division.'' She added: "Fifteen million dollars is an excessive amount to pay for any national park.

"If you look at the property which was acquired by Government over the last ten or 15 years, I don't think cumulatively it would have cost that much.'' She said if the US Government had decided to give Chelston and its land to the Island, taking it would be justified.

But Ms Gordon added: "Buying it and maintaining it is excessive at this time and too much for the taxpayers of this country to bear.'' The future of Chelston, home of Consuls General since the early 60s, has been under threat since the US Navy weighed anchor and pulled out of its Bermuda base in 1995.

The secluded house -- which featured in a 1996 US TV news series on the cost of American representation overseas -- was put on the market last year.

It features a beach house and private beach, in addition to the main home and extensive grounds.

The US are currently checking real estate registers for a smaller, cheaper, home for their permanent representative on the Island.