Plans to knock down a former nursing home in Paisley – which was recently devastated by a fire – have been submitted to Renfrewshire Council.
An applicant is seeking permission to flatten the original B-listed Speirsfield House in Stevenson Street after the property “suffered extensive damage” in a blaze some weeks ago.
The Victorian mansion, which is said to have been built around 1874, was gutted during an inferno in the early hours of Thursday, August 1.
An architectural consultant working on behalf of the applicant has written to the planning department outlining the request for listed building consent.
The letter explained the proposals consist of the planned demolition of the original house and extensions to the rear and south. It added the two-storey brick extension to the north would be retained, with the link taken down and gable infilled.
The correspondence said: “Unfortunately, the original house has suffered extensive damage due to a recent fire that has made the building structurally unsafe.
“A structural report is contained within the listed building application confirming that unfortunately the original building is beyond saving.”
A visual inspection of the property was completed by Balfour Engineering Consultancy on Friday, September 6 and the results were damning.
The report said: “It is greatly appreciated that this building is of significant architectural importance, hence its grade B listing, and the most favourable outcome would be if the building could be saved, repaired and reoccupied, keeping it for future generations.
“However, there are challenges that would appear insurmountable. The building is currently classed as being dangerous. Members of the public should be notified of this danger and kept away as far as reasonably possible.
“Retaining the building would entail a full fabric strip-out, back to the bare stone walls, assuming that the walls can be safely stabilised. The repair costs would be substantial and likely to be unviable for any developer.”
The report concluded the remains of the building’s structure are both “unstable and in danger of collapse”, adding “only demolition” is viable. A decision will be made on the application at a later date.
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