July 14 2020

A fire racked Victorian villa at Eadies Road, Dundee is to be swept aside under plans to expand Forebank Care Home.

The B-listed Forebank House currently languishes on the Buildings at Risk Register and subject to a dangerous buildings notice with the structure lying exposed to the elements.

A structural assessment carried out by McKinney Nicholson found the roof to be in an advanced state of disrepair with the majority of roof timbers missing or damaged, allowing vegetation to penetrate wallheads.

In a statement, the engineers wrote: “Due to the current condition of the building we would recommend that at a very minimum all the internal elements including walls, floors, ceilings and all finishes be removed back to the stone to leave only the external walls in place. This would then allow a more detailed investigation of the current exterior walls to be able to confirm if the structural integrity of these has been compromised.

“This may in itself bring about another problem in that although the internal structure is beyond repair it may still be providing a degree of support to the external walling. Removal of these walls may cause the external walls to become more vulnerable and lead to partial or total collapse.

“As we cannot ensure that the internal demolitions can be done safely it may be more prudent in this case to fully demolish the structure.”

Given the advanced state of disrepair it is proposed to erect a three-storey extension to an adjoining care home designed by Peter Inglis Architect.

5 Comments

#1 Posted by Prodigy on 14 Jul 2020 at 10:24 AM

Hopefully the local authority will put a stop to this ala Airlie Place.

#2 Posted by Robin B's Discount on 14 Jul 2020 at 13:47 PM

Good. No point in keeping old ramshackles just because they are old. The building is not fit for purpose and keeping it only prevents the world moving on.

#3 Posted by Cadmonkey on 14 Jul 2020 at 14:50 PM

In all seriousness, what is the Buildings At Risk Register for?
What has it ever achieved?

#4 Posted by Ray of Sunshine on 14 Jul 2020 at 15:36 PM

Cadmonkey - I've been involved in a project where the clients found a building in need on the risk register, fell in love and it is now a beautifully restored building with purpose. So I think it is serving a really important purpose and I hope the register results in many other similar stories and built heritage saved. Sadly it isn't always the case but some is better than none.

#5 Posted by Town Planner on 29 Aug 2020 at 13:10 PM

Cadmonkey it has achieved a lot 1500 buildings across Scotland have been saved. This wouldnt have necessarily happened with hard work, purging cynicism and repelling the doom and gloom with which Scotland is often obsessed
Buildings at Risk 2303

Saved 1938

Demolished 574

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