‘Dangerous’ building can be demolished
A man said to have been seriously injured while working in a “perilous” property in Kinross has secured consent to knock it down.
Sandy Thomson first asked Perth and Kinross Council for permission to demolish 27 Curate Wynd last September, claiming the building was in a “precarious/dangerous condition”.
But officials blocked the proposal after Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said Mr Thomson failed to demonstrate the building was “beyond practical or economic repair”.
HES said: “The house makes a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the conservation area, particularly when entering Curate Wynd to the south.”
Mr Thomson appealed to the Scottish Government in February, claiming he wound up in hospital the last time he worked on the building.
Planning consultant Walter Gray told the government: “Whilst working on the first floor the timber joists/floor collapsed from under my client and also one of the other tradesmen.
“Both men ended up in hospital with substantial injuries and the result of this event was that the team withdrew and refused to return to work in the property.”
Mr Gray went on: “It is inconceivable why HES cannot accept three independent reports prepared by different structural engineers and their comments regarding the structure and dangerous condition of this building.”
Now government reporter Rosie Leven has ruled the demolition can go ahead.
Ms Leven said: “I am in no doubt that the building is in a perilous state and that the lack of lateral support for the walls puts the building at risk of collapse.
“I acknowledge that the building is likely to continue to deteriorate if a viable option for reuse is not progressed.
“Whilst the cost of repair has not been clearly demonstrated, I consider that the poor condition of the building has been well documented.
“In my opinion the scale and nature of the repairs required represents a significant task, affecting a large proportion of the building’s fabric.
“It is likely that further damage would occur during attempts to repair the rear and eastern walls in particular and that a significant proportion of the overall brick work and timbers would be unusable through water damage.
“It is likely that the cost of this repair would make renovation an unviable prospect.
“Taking all of this together, whilst I find that the building has townscape value and is of a form and type that could be reused, repair and renovation is unlikely to come at a reasonable cost to make the project viable.”