A block of flats in Bridgend in Perth that had to be vacated due to safety concerns will be demolished.
Tenants living in East Bridge Street were forced to leave their homes in July when fears were raised about a damaged supporting wall and gable at the back of the premises. The problem first came to light in December.
Elena Costella, owner of ElenaCostella Yarn and Fibre Studio in Main Street,Bridgend, has also been served with a notice to vacate her shop and claims a delay in taking action by Perth and Kinross Council could have caused a fatality.
“My concern at this present moment is the safety for all who walk and drive near the building, whether they are members of the public or emergency services,” she said.
Bridgend resident Stuart Glencorse added: “This whole saga highlights the very real need for the council to be more proactive with engaging owners of older, listed building to ensure owners take their maintenance responsibilities seriously.”
Councillor Peter Barrett, one of the Perth City Centre representatives, said: “I feel the utmost sympathy for the residents who are losing their homes and must be devastated. I had been hoping that structural engineers would be able to put together a scheme to stabilise and repair the building.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council confirmed that demolition of the properties will take place and stressed that “private property maintenance” is the responsibility of the owner.
“The council met with residents of the affected block on Thursday to inform them our consultant structural engineers have advised us that demolition of the building is the only option,” he said.
“The opinion of the engineers is that the initial damage caused to the wall, coupled with the poor state of an adjoining gable end, means that the building can’t safely be repaired.
“The council’s position from the outset was to save this building for the sake of the residents. Our consultant structural engineers undertook an exhaustive search for specialist contractors but, ultimately, this proved unsuccessful.”
He said the owners of the properties have been given the option of appointing their own structural engineer to examine the building but with the caveat that any delay will result in enhanced temporary measures being taken in the interim to safeguard the public. “However, if residents accept the findings of our engineers, we will move very quickly to appoint a contractor to carry out the demolition work, as public safety is our primary concern.
“We recognise that this is a very unfortunate situation for everyone who lives in the block and we have every sympathy for the residents. We will support them in any way we can to find alternative accommodation.
“Responsibility for private property lies with the owner and council intervention is only taken as a last resort. The council has acted quickly and properly in this case. We served notice on residentsimmediately after we became aware of the initial damage to the wall, to encourage them to take action to carry out repair work.
“When this didn’t happen, we moved to evacuate the building, shut off public access to the area of immediate concern, and commissioned a detailed assessment of the building.”
A road closure has been put in place on East Bridge Street until the demolition work is carried out. The alternative route for vehicles will be between Main Street -Strathmore Street-Dupplin Road-Gannochy Road-Lochie Brae.
preoch@thecourier.co.uk