A Broughty Ferry car dealership has a lodged plans for the demolition of the former Regal Cinema after the building was deemed “dangerous”.
The West End Honda Garage, which operates within the former Regal Cinema on Queen Street, was forced to vacate the premises on Wednesday over safety concerns.
It comes after a recent assessment showed the building’s structure has become a “significant cause for concern”.
The C-listed building was built as a volunteer drill hall around 1870 and was transformed by the Arbroath Cinema Company as The Regal in 1936.
Between the late 1970s and early 1990s the property was used as a bingo hall and was later taken over by the West End Honda Garage as a showroom during the mid 90s.
Garage owner, James Ewart, had plans approved in 2017 to knock down the former Pizza Hut on Queen Street to make way for a car showroom forecourt but halfway through construction the site was deemed “dangerous”.
Building at risk of collapse if hit by storm
James has since had three structural engineers survey the C-listed building, including a conservation engineer from construction engineer company Fairhursts.
Fairhurts outlined in their report: “The structural stability of the building in its current state is of significant cause for concern.
“It is our view that there is a very real risk, especially during a storm event, that there could be a localised failure of an external wall panel, which could lead to a wider catastrophic global collapse event.
“It goes without saying that the effect of such an event would directly impact the building users, surrounding buildings and the general public.”
A building warrant was submitted last week for the demolition of the building.
Fencing has since been erected around the premises along with £33,000 worth of scaffolding within the building to support its structure.
The Honda garage has also requested a road closure of the southern section of Church Street along with “support from Dundee City Council planning service for consent to demolish the building”.
James said: “Over recent years I have become increasingly worried with regard to the structural stability of the property and the possible risk to public safety.
“I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that the necessary actions, including the road closure, will cause.
“However, I believe this is the only way I can ensure the safety of the public, particularly as we approach the winter months.
“I acknowledge this building has formed a part of the urban fabric of Broughty Ferry for many years and that we all have different memories of the building, whether it be as the Regal Cinema, Kingsway Bingo, a drill hall or more recently as part of the West End Garage.
“To date, I have made every effort to work with Dundee City Council and will continue to do so to find a mutually acceptable way forward .
“Unfortunately, as no agreement has been reached to date I am forced to cordon off the area and seek the road closure to ensure public safety.”
Dundee City Council did not respond to a request for comment.
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