Site safety fears are resolved

Work starts again on hotel

An emergency road closure was enforced in Crieff late last week after business owners complained of a dangerous situation at one of the Strath’s most notorious buildings.

Residents and owners of properties neighbouring the former Strathearn Hotel in Crieff’s King Street called for the safety measure to be implemented immediately in a bid to avoid a potential accident due to shoddy scaffolding.

The building is currently being demolished but it is understood Perth and Kinross Council had rescinded the scaffolding permit due to serious health and safety concerns regarding its construction.

Speaking on Wednesday last week William Frame of Braemore Estates, who has properties in Commissioner Street, close to the structure, said: “I have been in property all my working life and have never seen such a dangerous situation.

“The council has been absolutely fantastic at awarding a grant to get this eyesore demolished.

“However, work has stopped on the site and this is because they do not have a road closure agreement certificate and it seems to be being withheld for reasons of council bureaucracy.”

A PKC spokesperson said: “The scaffolding erected on the pavement and roadway fails to meet the minimum safety standards and therefore the council has revoked their permission until it is made safe.

“It is the developer’s responsibility to ensure the building is made safe until all permissions and safeguards are in place.

“Unfortunately, the demolition works are at a stage where the developer should already have a road closure in place.

“The developer was advised in August that an application for a road closure can take up to six weeks to approve, and should apply in advance.”

The spokesperson said the council was left with no option but to grant an emergency road closure to safeguard the public.

The closure notice was issued on Thursday last week.

Strathearn ward Conservative councillor Roz McCall said local authority officers had gone “above and beyond” in a bid to get the road closure signed-off since being alerted to the situation.

Although the building is privately-owned Perth and Kinross Council has allocated £265,000 from the Scottish Government Town Centre Fund to ensure that the longstanding eyesore, which has had more than one Dangerous Buildings notice slapped on it, comes down.

Cllr McCall commented: “We have had a hiccup with the road closure which has been dealt with extremely quickly by the council

“These things normally take a while. If we don’t do things properly issues can arise in other areas so there is a reason that we ask for things to be done in a timely manner.

“But the council has stepped up and made sure we are in a position to close the road and get this building down.”

Cllr McCall said, with the health and safety issues resolved, the council could reinstate the scaffolding permit and work is progressing as the road is now closed.

She added: “The work taking down the building that has been so far has been done perfectly – they have been coming at it from the back.

“It’s a building that abuts onto other buildings so it was always going to be difficult.

“When it comes to health and safety the council don’t mess around.

“It’s got to be done properly, not only for the people that are working there but for those walking and driving by.

“If they need a box ticked to be able to produce a permit they can’t bypass it.

“It’s not red tape and bureaucracy – it’s the possibility of somebody being seriously injured.”