THE company which sparked fury when they tore down a historic building in Alloa without planning permission have now made an offer to rebuild it.
Advance Construction (Scotland) Limited made the decision to demolish Carsebridge House after the property suffered major damage as a result of fire at the end of August.
A planning application was submitted to Clackmannanshire Council seeking permission to knock the house down, citing safety issues.
This was still being processed by the local authority, and had not yet been decided on, before the company proceeded with unauthorised demolition on Wednesday, September 18.
Now, Advance Construction have pledged to rebuild the house in a similar style, while also offering to preserve a historic column that stands adjacent to the Carsebridge House site.
A spokesperson for Advance Construction said: “We have made an offer to rebuild in the footprint of the building in a similar style and use the façade stone which we have retained.
“An offer has also been made to relocate the Napoleon Pillar, at our cost, to a location of the council’s choosing.
“We are continuing to co-operate with Police Scotland, Clackmannanshire Council and partner organisations on this matter.”
The demolition of Carsebridge House had sparked anger in the Wee County, who bemoaned a loss of heritage.
READ MORE: Council considering action after Carsebridge demolition
Advance Construction were asked by council representatives to cease demolition, but they continued to tear down the Grade B listed building.
The company filed an engineer’s report alongside their planning application, which cited structural issues with the building as a result of the fire, which Advance say was their reason for demolition.
The spokesperson continued: “Carsebridge House was the subject of a major, deliberate fire on August 29, causing the roof of the building to collapse and impact its overall structural integrity.
“Following the fire, we commissioned an independent structural engineer’s report as a matter of urgency and it was very clear that the building could not be saved and was an immediate health and safety risk.
“Having consulted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), we were advised that safety takes precedence.
“Our decision to undertake this was not taken lightly and was purely based on safety issues and a concern to remove any risk to human life.
“We were also aware that it may take some time to deliver the necessary consents from the council to demolish the building, which could heighten the risk.”
The demolition was raised at a recent meeting of the council, with councillors unanimously agreeing to explore further action against Advance Construction.
READ MORE: Carsebridge House gutted by fire
Councillor Graham Lindsay stated: “While I appreciate that the building was in a poor condition following the devastating fire, and an application to demolish had been submitted, the demolition work last month was carried out without consent of this council.
“Those responsible should be held fully to account.”
The council agreed that a report on possible next steps should be prepared and presented to the planning committee.
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