A WEE COUNTY venue is under threat of closure following extensive damage to the property above.

Coalsnaughton Burns Club has reported that water damage to the vacant premises upstairs is beginning to impact their business.

The club state water is running down the walls and impacting the stability of the building, putting the business and the nearby neighbours at risk.

Repairs to the building have currently been put on hold due to an ongoing dispute regarding the ownership of the property.

Proprietors of the Burns Club state that three parties are liable for upkeep of the building – the club itself, the Lifestyle Express store next door and a company called Bridging Loans ltd who they claim have inherited the ownership of the vacant lot.

Jason Frew, on behalf of the Burns Club, said they are willing to pay their share of the repair work to ensure the club can continue to trade so long as the owners also do so.

He told the Advertiser: “The guttering has been neglected and this causes it to overflow – we’ve spent a fair sum of money trying to restore parts of the building.

“We repaired all the sandstone and the traditional plaster but because of the neglect to the gutters, the water has cascaded over and the plaster’s blown off the wall.

“We worry that the gable end could collapse on the left-hand side which could potentially impact the driveway of the people that live in the house next to the building.”

A dangerous building notice was placed on the upstairs property on November 25, meaning nobody could use it until repairs were made.

Mr Frew explained that loose tiles on the roof were removed recently, but the hole caused by them was not sealed, allowing water to easily run into the properties.

He added: “To the right of our bar, there is a space in the ceiling where there is water continually running into the building.

“You can hear water dripping into the space behind the bar from the flat roof above.

“Due to the money that we’ve had to spend paying for work on the building, it threatens our ability to fund community projects.”

In an email to the Burns Club, a director from Bridging Loans said they had loaned money to the owner of the building, a Mr Akhtar, to convert the upstairs property into flats. 

Bridging Loans then commenced possession proceedings as Mr Akhtar was unable to repay the loan amid an ongoing dispute with the Burns Club.

The Burns Club argues that Bridging Loans is now a "shareholder" in the property and should now pay for some of the costs of repairs.

Bridging Loans, however, say they are mortgagees in possession of the upper floor of the property - and not its owners - as such, they say they are not obligated to carry out repairs.

A spokesperson for the firm said: "We have been attempting to engage with the Burns Club over the issues in the building for a number of years. We promptly and fully complied with the dangerous building notice issued by the local authority.

“Unfortunately, the Burns Club have refused to allow us access to the upper floor of the building. We have no obligation to carry out any further repairs to the property, but in any event we are unable to do so given the Burns Club’s refusal to allow us access.”

The Burns Club have said they are not granting Bridging Loans access until they pay for their share of the repairs already carried out.