Locals have called for action to bring a block of Dundee council flats back into use more than two years after a fire.
Six homes at St Columba Gardens in St Mary’s have been abandoned since April 2022 when the building went up in flames.
Following the fire, residents said they felt “lucky to be alive” after the blaze tore through the close of the flats.
The building has been boarded up since, with locals hitting out at the lack of movement to bring the flats back into use.
Antony Flynn, who lives in a flat in the next block, says the properties have become an eyesore.
‘Given the housing issues, you’d think these flats would be ideal’
The 58-year-old said: “There were certainly signs of activity there in the months after the fire.
“A cabin was there for workers last year but that’s also been away for a while now.
“The gardens are overgrown and most of the windows remain boarded up.
“Given the issues with social housing, you’d like to think these two-bedroom flats would be ideal for folk.
“I have been surprised by the lack of movement to get them back up and running.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, also raised concerns about the state of the building.
She said: “We’ve had people visiting and asking, ‘When is that block reopening?’
“They’re all council flats.
“You’d think they are losing out on rent with them being empty for so long.
“As far as I can recollect, the houses themselves weren’t badly damaged, it was more the communal close.
“It certainly doesn’t look appealing at the moment and the gardens are not being maintained.”
A 13-year-old boy was reported to the authorities following a police investigation into the blaze.
Kevin Keenan, Labour councillor for the Strathmartine ward – whose call to declare a housing emergency in Dundee was turned down this week – branded the situation a “shambles”.
He said: “That’s over two years that six properties have been empty in Dundee.
“It only highlights further the housing emergency in the city.
“It’s a shambles that this has been allowed to happen – these homes need to be re-let.
“Having houses boarded up like this is a blight on the landscape.”
Council says fire-hit Dundee flats will be let after utility meters fitted
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “All building works at these properties are now complete.
“Out of the six tenants who were in the block, five have been permanently rehoused, with one due to return.
“Requests have been made to the utility company for new meters to be fitted, and when this has been completed, the properties will be available for let.”
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