Fife Council has stepped in to halt demolition work on an iconic whisky building.
Locals were left “shocked” when brickwork and stone lintels were torn from Haig House – the former Haig Whisky office in Markinch – last week.
However, concerns were raised that this would lead to the entire site being knocked down.
Despite Haig House not having listed building status, it is afforded the same protection as the B-listed former Haig Coronation bond and bottling plant on the same site.
The law, known as ‘curtilage’, protects Haig House due to its close proximity and historical connection to the other building just yards away.
Fife Council was alerted to the work and intervened to order the site’s owners to stop.
The local authority confirmed it had received and approved a building warrant application last year from Davie Timber Frame Homes to demolish Haig House.
However, it said that a separate planning application to demolish the building would still need to be submitted and approved before work proceeded.
To date, no planning application has been received.
Enforcement team halts work on Haig Whisky site in Markinch
Alasdair Hamilton, planning services manager, told The Courier: “I can confirm that Fife Council’s planning enforcement team has now made contact with the building’s owners, and work has been suspended.
“Discussions are now continuing between the council and the owner regarding this issue.”
Jenny Gilruth, MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, said she was “shocked” to see work had begun on the site.
She added: “Having raised this urgently with Fife Council’s chief executive, prompt action was taken to prevent further demolition.
“I am grateful to the council for their swift response to prevent further damage.”
The Courier has approached Davie Timber Frame Homes for comment.
At its peak, Haig employed more than 600 workers, producing 1.25 million cases of whisky a year.
The premises closed in 1984, ending nearly a century of Haig’s association with the Markinch site.
In recent years, the site was renamed Haigs Business Park, housing a range of local businesses as well as an indoor skatepark facility and trampoline fitness centre.
Demolition of another former Haig building, adjacent to Coronation Bond, was completed earlier this year.
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