Council / Home-owner ‘will hold SIC liable’ for any damages from Pitt Lane flats demolition
A LERWICK home-owner has pledged to hold Shetland Islands Council (SIC) responsible for any damage to his property during its proposed demolition of eight flats in town.
Norman Moncrieff has objected to the SIC’s plans to demolish two buildings – comprising eight flats – in Lerwick’s Pitt Lane.
Specifically he is objecting to the proposal to dismantle and rebuild the retaining wall to 26/28 Pitt Lane and to dismantle 24A Pitt Lane’s west gable.
Moncrieff, who says he owns 26/28 Pitt Lane, said he was particularly concerned about the demolition of 24A Pitt Lane – which is in “very close proximity” to his property.
“We are concerned that a demolition rather than a careful dismantling will cause substantial damage to our property,” he said in an objection to the planning application.
“Any damage to our property will be very disruptive and expensive to rectify.
“We will hold the SIC liable for re-instatement and damages.”
He has instead requested that the west gable of 24A Pitt Lane is “dismantled in a controlled manner”.
“It is essential to prevent sudden collapse of the wall of 24A which would fall on to our adjacent property.”
Moncrieff repeated that, if any damage occurs to 26/28 Pitt Lane during the demolition process, “the SIC will be held liable” for the cost.
In his objection, he has requested the SIC provides him with a “detailed plan” of how the council’s contractor will dig out the foundations of the retaining wall to 26/28 Pitt Lane, and how it will rebuild the wall.
And he has called for a detailed work scope of how his property will be protected during the planned works.
Moncrieff asked for meetings with the SIC to discuss both these plans when they were ready.
He added that no work should begin until all of this was agreed.
Shetland Islands Council has applied for conservation consent to demolish the two buildings in the Lerwick Lanes, which will clear eight flats in the area.
In its submission the council said that, “given the current state of these buildings”, the flats had been “deemed beyond economic or practical refurbishment”.
“Removing these deteriorating structures not only addresses safety concerns but also supports the long-term regeneration strategy of the area.
“The decision to proceed with demolition is strongly supported by both the structural findings of Mott MacDonald and the objectives of the Lerwick Lanes masterplan.”
It added the buildings posed “risks to safety and detracts from the area’s character”.
The council also said demolition works would be done carefully to “protect the amenity of neighbouring properties and adjoining features”.
Stone walls would be “carefully detached from gables and retained as far as practically possible”.
In the past year-plus the SIC has been exploring ways to redevelop the site once the flats are demolished.
However one elected member said in September that he felt the SIC should ultimately sell the site on to a developer, saying the cost of the redevelopment could become “unviable”.
Call made for lanes site to be sold on as update presented to councillors
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