Historic Scotland and Dundee City Council officials are to meet after it was discovered work on the city’s category A-listed Caird Hall was started before listed building consent was issued.
While it had been in discussions with the council and welcomed the replacement of steps and disabled ramp prior to it starting at the beginning of April, Historic Scotland did not formally approve the plans until April 15, with planning permission only granted on April 29.
A spokeswoman for the organisation said: “We have been in discussion with Dundee City Council from November 2012 regarding the proposed works to the steps at the Caird Hall. “We welcomed their plans to replace the concrete stairs in natural stone and had no concerns with the principle of a new ramp.
“We commented on the detail of proposed changes to the steps and asked for further information.
“It has now been brought to our attention that works were carried out prior to the issue of the listed building consent on 29 April.
“We will be meeting with the council in the near future and will remind them of the listed building consent procedures.”
Karen McAulay, a Dundee resident with an interest in history and conservation, said she was concerned when she saw the steps removed on April 5 and discovered the consent was not yet granted.
She said: “I firmly believe that Dundee City Council should be leading by example. They are the guardians of our historic environment, entrusted to safeguard our legacy for the present and future generations.”
Dundee City Council stated previously: “Officials from Historic Scotland knew exactly what we intended to do and did not object. The work programme was speeded up because when slabs were removed as part of the City Square refurbishment, there was a danger of water ingress at the steps.
“This would have caused costly damage under the area of the steps unless we moved quickly to rectify the situation.
“The council applied for listed building consent, following discussions with Historic Scotland, and this was granted.”