Perth and Kinross Council’s housing spokesman has been criticised for “failing to provide a full explanation” for a blunder at a development of affordable homes that has forced workers to down tools.
Construction of 10 council flats in Scone has been halted because the building is 15cm too close to Perth Road and 50cm too high. The council sunk £4.7m into building affordable homes across the region, which now has the fastest-growing population in Scotland.
It is hoped the flats in Scone will help alleviate the housing shortage but council red tape means builders must seek an amendment to their planning permission, which could take months to secure.
A council spokesman said: “Due to an error by the contractor this block was built 500mm too high and 150mm nearer to the road than was set out in the plans.
“The contractor is reducing the height of the roof to comply with the plans, at no extra cost to the council. A minor adjustment to the planning consent is required to take into account the fact the building is 150mm closer to the road.”
The housing committee convener, Dave Doogan, described the error as “in no way unprecedented in the construction industry”, adding the development is “positive” for the area. Opposition councillors have, however, described his response to the problem as “complacent” and “wholly unsatisfactory”.
Former housing convener Councillor Peter Barrett said: “Mr Doogan might be happy to suggest that these sort of blunders are par for the course but I am absolutely astonished.
“I’ll bet anything that the people on the council’s housing waiting list don’t think much of his complacent response, either.
“There is nothing hugely positive, as Mr Doogan seems to think, about work grinding to a halt on site and there is no such precedent whatsoever for the sort of failures in the construction management process that we have here.
“Mr Doogan’s failure to provide a full explanation is wholly unsatisfactory.”
Councillor Doogan admitted the positioning error was one of many problems holding up the project. He said: “It is important to acknowledge that this project was held up by multiple unforeseen factors, not simply dimensional inaccuracies.”
The council’s housing convener also underlined his position that the development is positive for the people of Perth and Kinross. “I cannot account for the apparent level of astonishment to which Councillor Barrett so readily succumbs and I would like to point out that at no stage has he ever sought to discuss this with me; however, in the very near future tenants will have access to further first-class affordable housing in Scone and, in my book, that is positive.
“Officers will, of course, afford every assistance to Councillors Simpson, Grant and Miller, who represent Scone residents, or any other councillor regarding recent challenges and I remain confident that delays will be kept to a minimum.”
The contractor, McCormack Development, could not be reached for comment on Monday but Caledonia Housing Association, which is overseeing construction on behalf of the local authority, could not confirm a completion date.
Asset management director Andrew Kilpatrick said: “The error is squarely with the contractor, they have to put it right and they are currently doing that.”