Bats unlikely to stand in way of conversion
Plan for reservoir pump house
A listed building at a Carron Valley reservoir, which is currently home only to bats, could be given a new lease of life as a house.
Stirling Council planners are recommending conditional approval of an application by Graham Wylie to convert the former pump house in Polmaise Road, near Carron Reservoir,
They say securing a viable use for the building is “very much preferable” to allowing it to fall into disrepair.
Mitigation measures have been proposed to protect the bats and Scottish Natural Heritage consulted, with planners saying it is likely a licence would be granted for the work under conditions.
A bat survey undertaken in summer 2016, commissioned by the applicant, discovered a soprano pipistrelle bat maternity colony and an additional seven non-maternity roost locations for the same bat species. The single maternity roost was estimated at around 50-60 individual bats while the non-maternity roosts were occupied by either single bats or two bats and were not all in use.
The survey said the colony and roost locations could be temporarily lost and disturbed as a result of renovation works therefore the SNH licence would be required in advance.
The North Third Water Treatment Works building is almost two miles south west of Cambusbarron and surrounded by woodland, vegetation and the reservoir itself.
The B-listed structure was built in 1931, with filtration plant mechanical equipment designed by Paterson Candy International. It closed in 1975 and its equipment was upgraded in 1985.
The site reopened in 1989 but was finally closed in 2000 and sold into private ownership in 2006.
Council planners said: “The building has good interior detail retained including glazed bricks throughout. The entrance hall has horizontal Art Deco style patterning to glazed bricks and a mosaic tiles floor.
“The building is falling into a state of disrepair. There have been repeated ‘break-ins’ and some vandalism has taken place. A prolonged period of abandonment will also potentially result in the deterioration of the building and its fabric at an accelerating rate.”
The proposals are said to represent a “sympathetic conversion” and will preserve the character and appearance of the building, its setting and the surrounding area.
“The applicants have designed the scheme in a manner that seeks to limit the impact the conversion has on this building and the area as a whole,” added the planners.
The planners added: “The applicants have been prepared to ... leave exposed important historic features such as the original windows, which significantly contribute to the external character of the building.”