Partial demolition of Viewhill Farm Steadings ordered to meet safety concerns

A large farm steading at Viewhill Farm, Balloch, Inverness is to be partially demolished soon to meet growing concerns over the safety of the building. The area will be fenced off from Monday 20 January, with remedial work scheduled to begin on Monday 27 January.

The work has been ordered by The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service following an inspection of the building with the owners, Inverness Properties, and their advisers.

Council Building Standards officers ruled there is no option but to demolish parts of the building (for structural and health and safety reasons) in order to make it safe. This requires the developer to adequately fence off the remaining building and provide warning signs once the work is complete.

All work will be carried out under the supervision of a structural engineer and once the building has been made safe the contractor will leave the site until all the relevant permissions are in place.

A Council spokesman stressed that that the demolition would have been required irrespective of the outcome of any planning application for developing the site. On appeal, Inverness Properties have permission to build 16 homes on land at Viewhill Farm.

A dangerous building notice under sections 29 & 30 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 had been served on the owner, requiring them to carry out the appropriate works to make the building safe.

Progress on the 16-house development could only begin once the relevant and necessary permissions were granted.