WEE COUNTY councillors unanimously agreed on Thursday to consider a “range of possible actions” against Carsebridge House owners – including the possibility of making a referral to the Procurator Fiscal.

Councillors said they were “angry”, “horrified” and “aghast” in the wake of losing the “significant historical” property. 

Cllr Graham Lindsay said: “I’m genuinely aghast that anyone would think it appropriate or think they have the right to go ahead and destroy a building – a  B-listed building at that – without the necessary permission and in the face of physical council objection.

“The level of disrespect and disregard towards our local heritage and towards the council is contemptible. This motion attempts to outline the action that should now follow.” 

He said Carsebridge House had significant historic attachment for many people in Clackmannanshire. 

It previously was part of a distillery where many generations of local residents worked. More recently, it was part of the Diageo site.

However, the building has lain empty for many years, gradually wearing down and subject to vandalism over the past year, with reports of people accessing the buildings and damaging the interior.

On August 29, Carsebridge House was gutted by a fire. The roof of the property, known locally as the Dolls House, was completely lost to the blaze while the first floor ceiling has also largely caved in.

Then, less than three weeks later, the building was knocked down by owners at Advance Construction (Scotland) Limited without any formal consent.  

The owners had previously submitted a planning application to demolish the building, citing safety concerns as their reasons, but this application had not been approved by Clackmannanshire Council.

Cllr Lindsay said he could appreciate that the building was in a poor condition following the fire, but he – along with other council members – agreed that the demolition was carried out “without consent and despite being instructed to stop by Clackmannanshire Council officers”. 

“Those responsible should be held fully to account,” he said. 

The entire situation has sparked local outrage from both residents and councillors alike.

“I’m really angry. I think we’re all really angry,” Councillor Bryan Quinn (Greens for Clackmannanshire South) said.

“I think we should investigate all the possible actions we could take to try and get the best outcome for us. We also need to show people that it’s not acceptable, you can’t do this, there is a law, there is a process.

And if people are not following the law, they should be punished. We should take every action we possibly can.” 

Cllr Lindsay’s motion saw the council agree to consider “a range of possible action, including the making a referral to the Procurator Fiscal, against the owner and possibly others”. 

The council agreed that a report on possible next steps should be prepared and presented to the planning committee as soon as possible.

In terms of investigations, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Enquiries are ongoing into a fire at Carsebridge House, Alloa on Thursday, August 29.”

In relation to the demolition, the spokesperson said: “Officers are investigating the demolition of a listed building without permission on Carsebridge Road in Alloa on Wednesday, September 18. We are working with partner agencies to establish the full circumstances.”