Council concerns raised over safety and costs
The saga of a collapsed wall in Dunblane, which has been cordoned off for more than two years, looks set to continue for the moment.
The wall separates a section of pavement at Ledcameroch on the B8033 Perth Road in the town from private land.
However, the company which owns the land, County Property Developments Ltd, has been dissolved and council officials say there is no way to contact the landowner to have them undertake the repairs.
A petition was tabled at the latest meeting of the council’s environment and housing committee asking the authority to find funding to repair the wall and investigate the possibility of seeking redress from the current or future owners.
During discussions some councillors, including Labour’s Danny Gibson were uncomfortable about spending public money on the wall when there seemed little chance of clawing it back.
Tory councillor Martin Earl meanwhile asked why, if officers did not feel it was enough of a public safety issue for the council to do work itself, could barriers around it, blocking the footway, not be removed.
An official replied: “There’s still an assumption that the wall is safe in terms of how it stands just now. If it was an immediate threat we would get in and start dismantling sections of it. We don’t know what would happen tomorrow in certain weather conditions etc, so in that respect it is uncertain in terms of public safety.”
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache said: “I understand the frustration for the community that this doesn’t look good and has been going on for a long time.”
At his suggestion, council officials agreed to consider sending a representative to a meeting of Dunblane Community Council to update them on the current position and what could potentially be done in future.
Committee chairman Councillor Jim Thomson said: “We have to be certain we have the powers to topple the wall and also look at whether people having to cross the road is a safety issue. Also, given it seems to be a Listed wall, we need advice from planners.”
Senior manager infrastructure Brian Roberts said: “Given it’s listed we will contact Historic Scotland for advice. It may be that selective demolition can be carried out if it meets the requirements of Historic Scotland and maybe the footway could be opened.
“This is not something that is going to be resolved in a matter of weeks but we will look at all this and bring it back to committee.”
During the debate Bannockburn ward councillor Alasdair MacPherson indicated he might be prepared to support the council doing some work on the wall but only if it did not “leapfrog” repairs on the Telford Bridge near Cowie, which he said had been cordoned off with a “gaping hole” for eight years.
Councillor Earl, however, said Dunblane residents had “taken the initiative” to bring a petition forward and it was an option open to Councillor MacPherson’s constituents.
“I have raised this as has Councillor Margaret Brisley and Violet Weir when she was a councillor, as has the community council,” added Councillor MacPherson. “To suggest a petition for the Telford Bridge when we have gone through the process is overkill of the highest order. You can see ruinous buildings over the country, but this wall [in Dunblane] will see us all off in it’s current condition.”