Councillors will decide tomorrow (Thursday) how to repair Stirling’s historic Christie clock which was controversially demolished sparking anger across the city.
Three of the options, to go before the full meeting of Stirling Council, come with an £800,000 plus price tag and involve various levels of restoration of the landmark dating from 1905-06.
A fourth option, the retention of the plinth with bespoke capping piece (£33,800), would “best preserve the plinth while retaining the ability to restore the clock at a future date”.
Councillors had previously been told that the shocking demolition of the listed clock in September 2023 in a botched job had been “a jaw-dropping sequence of missed opportunities” and “systematic failure”.
The repair options include the £873,460 clock and column restoration scheme, involving extensive stonework repairs – rejected by councillors in March for “more cost-effective solutions” to be sought before the end of the year.
The other two are: restoration of clock head with new stone column (£827,850) and new stone clock head and column (£808,753).
The officer’s report states: “The costs of the [first] three options are very similar, with the options’ estimates all within £65k variance of each other. If council’s agreed position remains that the clock tower is to be reinstated, then it is officer’s view that option one provides the optimal conservation approach to retain as much of the original structure as possible as identified by the consultants.”
It continues: “If the decision is taken to not progress with any of options one to three at this stage, it is recommended that option four is agreed and that works are progressed to protect the plinth.
“This work would include the installation of a bespoke stone cap on top of the plinth to protect the exposed base of the column from further water ingress and weathering. The plinth would be cleaned and repointed as part of the works.
“There would be an option to undertake a moderate level of intervention at this stage to provide for future longevity, particularly in respect of the iron support beams in the base of the clock plinth.
“The stonework from the clock tower that has already been removed to store would be retained and protected in storage to allow the reinstatement of the clock tower at a future date.”
If councillors agree any of the first three options it is recommended a budget allocation of £873,000 would be required split across financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27.