House needs to be ‘taken off’ youths

Scone residents have heard council officers are looking at ways to control what happens to a derelict property that local youths were previously reported to be using for illicit parties during lockdown.

Councillor Lewis Simpson gave the reassurance to Scone and District Community Council (SDCC) after he was quizzed over what steps officials had taken to try and persuade the owners of the house on Highfield Road to take some responsibility for its upkeep.

Group secretary Hazel MacKinnon told members during a previous meeting in March the house, known locally as Strathcona, was being used as an illegal hangout.

Asked for an update on the situation during the group’s most recent meeting last month, councillor Simpson said officers had established most of the family believed to own the property now live in Ireland.

The Scottish Lib Dem added an elderly woman and a daughter of hers had both proven to be very reluctant to discuss their involvement with the property when contacted, however.

Asked whether the council could raise a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the property to take it out of the family’s hands, councillor Simpson confirmed this could be done.

He said one difficulty officers may have if they decide to use the CPO approach to acquire the property, however, is they do not know exactly who they ought to raise an order against.

Councillor Simpson added he had been told the same family believed to own Strathcona also own a string of other properties across Tayside.

“It seems to be a terrible legal morass,”he remarked.“They [the council] are trying to do something, there just doesn’t seem to be an easy answer.”