The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fatality warning as state of ex-hospital is laid bare
New photos show extent of decay at vandalised site
New images from inside the decaying Strathmartine Hospital have prompted a warning the place is becoming a deathtrap.
The photographs posted on an urban exploring website have triggered fresh concerns over the risk posed by the empty buildings.
And one local councillor fears it is a “matter of time” before there is a fatality at the vandal and theft-hit site.
Fire chiefs whose crews have attended a spate of incidents have added their voices to the latest criticism of illegal intruders.
The photos uploaded to the Derelict Places website show how increasingly dilapidated the building has become internally.
The site is a photography forum which specialises in the history and documentation of disused and abandoned buildings. The website’s tagline is “Documenting Decay”.
The pictures, uploaded by a user going by the online name Brewtal on October 22, show some external images but mostly feature the collapsing interior. Sunken and debris-littered flooring, broken windows and overgrown weeds are captured in the images.
Monifieth and Sidlaws Conservative councillor Craig Fotheringham said he is worried someone is going to have a fatal accident breaking in.
He said: “It beggars belief why someone would go in there. They’ve got no respect for other people’s property.
“Security is probably lacking but at the end of the day everyone knows it is unsafe. I think it’s only a matter of time before there is a fatality. It’s not a place for folk to be playing around.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has also issued a warning.
Roy Dunsire, group manager, said: “We have found from experience and intelligence that unoccupied buildings can be targeted by malicious fire-raising.
“We would urge the owners of derelict properties, wherever possible, to ensure that they are properly secured to help minimise risk such as unnecessary fires.
“Structures such as these have the potential to cause great risk to members of the public who are thinking of entering them for any reason.
I think it’s only a matter of time before there is a fatality. It’s not a place for folk to be playing around. CRAIG FOTHERINGHAM
“For younger people, these structures can appear to be an area for adventurous play. However, the danger of harm is very real.”
Robert Evans of planning consultants Muir Smith Evans, who represent the building’s owner, investment firm Heathfield Ltd, said: “The pictures are an accurate depiction of the state of the building, though the pictures seem to be taken of the worst parts.
“We have no record or knowledge of these photos being taken so it seems that someone has let themselves in. We would absolutely discourage anyone from entering the building as it is a safety concern.”
The hospital was decommissioned in the late 1980s and closed in 2003.
In 2015, Scottish Ministers upheld an Angus Council decision to allow new housing on the site and the conversion of the B-listed main building after neighbouring Dundee City Council objected to what it deemed “excessive” redevelopment plans.
However, a legal planning agreement between the developer and NHS Tayside has yet to be concluded.