Eighteen properties have been evacuated and a main road in St Ninians closed to traffic after a building was found to be in a dangerous condition.
The property, located on St Ninians Main Street near the Lidl supermarket, was visited by a private contractor on Wednesday and concerns were raised over the condition of several chimney stacks on the roof prompting an inspection by Stirling Council building safety officers and engineers.
A ‘safety exclusion zone’ has now been set up around the building in question, with images from the site showing extensive fencing and several workers on site assessing the condition of the property.
Homeowners have been given alternative accommodation while further investigations are carried out, with no timeline being placed on the repairs at the latest update.
The main road was also closed to drivers, with an alternative route put in place for road users to navigate the closure.
The route will begin at the Viewforth traffic lights, before moving through the B8051 at Snowdon Place and Drummond Place, then on to King’s Park Road, Polmaise Road, Torbrex Road, before heading back on to Weaver Row and rejoining at the Lidl traffic lights.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Due to the dangerous condition of the building, a decision was taken to set up a safety exclusion zone at the location and evacuate the building.
“A total of 18 properties are affected by the situation and have been supported with alternative accommodation needs.
“To ensure public safety, the road was also closed to all traffic between Weaver Row and Williamfield Avenue.
“A full structural assessment is being undertaken by engineers and contractors to establish the extent of the required repairs.
“We understand this is an extremely difficult situation for the building occupants and is proving disruptive to other local residents and road users. We would to like thank residents for their patience and understanding.
“At this stage it is still unclear how long the repairs to the structure will take and we will continue to keep residents updated while we work with the property owners to make their buildings safe.”
The introduction of a ‘safety exclusion zone’ echoes a similar situation in December 2019, when the risk of falling masonry from a property above the Let’s Party shop in Port Street caused a section of pavements to be closed to pedestrians.
