A year ago today, Gardner Street residents feared for their lives when their buildings “wobbled” during a huge landslide at the back of their tenements.
People watched in horror as their rear gardens disappeared in a huge pile of mud and rubble down the slope towards the back of flats on nearby Lochee Road.
More than 100 residents were evacuated after the frightening collapse, which sparked a major alert involving police, fire and rescue service and ambulance crews.Archive photos: Landslide behind flats in DundeeSomehow no one was hurt and, as soon as the blocks were declared safe a few days later, the majority of the tenants were allowed back into their homes but the owner-occupiers of 12 flats at 2 Gardner Street are still in temporary accommodation.
Andy Barrett is one of those who is not back in his flat and he has criticised Dundee City Council for the delay after residents were promised they would be back in their homes by the end of the summer.
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Some residents fear their buildings could still be unsafe and put the repair bill at more than £1 million, while others think demolition of the entire tenement is on the cards.
Dundee City Council says progress has been made and officials hope to announce a “successful conclusion” to talks early in the new year.
For special coverage of the landslide a year on, see Tuesday’s Dundee edition of The Courier.