Halloween gremlins have stopped work on the demolition of West Lothian’s ghost estate.
No sooner had the excavator’s hydraulic grab moved in to take roof blocks off the shell of a home in Deans South, Livingston, than work was stopped to investigate possible asbestos.
Kerry Mackintosh and her family planned to be on site to watch the house they had fought to leave for 18 years demolished by Beattie Demolition contractors on Monday morning.
READ MORE: West Lothian ghost estate families burn fence at homes they fought to leave for 18 years
Monday was the culmination of a long campaign for a new home in exchange for the former council house she had bought before it was condemned for its porous concrete roof.
But after a weekend of mixed emotion and disturbed sleep there were only more delays. Kerry was getting ready to drive across Livingston to watch her old home in Deans South demolished when the phone call came.
“I’d been excited and psyched up for the demolition. Then I got the phone call and my heart just sank.” she said on Monday.
It took 18 years to win a deal secured when Springfield Properties bought the Deans South from West Lothian Council. Most of the estate's empty and boarded homes have already been demolished.
The street where Kerry and neighbours, Joe and Isobel Baxter, had also bought their house is one of the last to go
Demolition work stopped as Springfield Properties staff made the call to her about asbestos fears. She arrived to find only part of the roof of the terraced end removed.
The excavator had only got as far as taking down the remaining part of the protest fence surrounding her old home while material from the neighbouring house was taken away for checking.
Kerry told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’m just really fed up and frustrated, I’m not in a good place today, I’d used up holidays to be able to see this.”
She added: “They have to check for asbestos and it could be delayed for up to a week. I thought it had been done and that’s why the houses were marked with the red X”
Engineers on site for Springfield said they were keen to start to transform the site.
Both Kerry and neighbours the Baxters from along the street had hoped to be on site to watch the demolition this morning of both homes. The three had gathered with friends and family a month ago for a farewell bonfire of the protest fence around Kerry’s home.
Springfield Partnerships Managing Director, Tom Leggeat, said: “In recent weeks, we’ve commissioned a third-party specialist to carry out an audit and safe removal of asbestos in the remaining properties at Deans South ahead of the demolition which was due to take place yesterday (Monday, 31st October). We can confirm that the audits and work were fully completed, and we were able to begin demolition.
“However, after part of the roof was removed from the first property, asbestos that wouldn’t have been possible to identify without the removal of the roof was discovered. This is not unusual during the construction process, though we fully appreciate the disappointment of local people who have waited a long time to see work begin. We share this frustration, but we must prioritise health and safety.
“We have temporarily paused the demolition so that this asbestos can be removed, and we continue to work with our specialist contractor to ensure we can proceed as quickly and safely as possible.”
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