Planning applications have been submitted to rebuild an historic A-listed house in Glasgow’s west end.
The 170-year-old property in Kirklee Terrace Lane was “taken down by hand” amid safety concerns, according to a new report by the contractors CBC Stone.
Glasgow City Council previously said it had “collapsed” during building works. The local authority was first notified by neighbours “a few days after the collapse,” according to a spokesman.
But a report attached to a planning application for ‘partial demolition of dwellinghouse and erection of replacement dwellinghouse’, submitted by owner Michel Soukop, appears to contradict this position.
The document provided by CBC Stone states: “With the failure of the inner face of mortar and due to the existing external face of the stonework being painted it was considered prudent that the stonework above the new rear elevation opening had to be taken down by hand and laid aside.”
The contractors then inspected the front of the house and found that it had also “failed”, according to the report.
It stated: “Again it was considered prudent to, as quickly as possible, given the previous infills and condition of the stone, to take down the stonework laying aside as much as possible the original stone, however very little was recoverable as the petrographic analysis has found that the stone sample that had been sent had been found to be “very damaged”.
“These works to the front, gable and rear elevation were all carried out within a very tight timescale, between the 8th and 14th February 2016, and although we acknowledge were outwith the intended scope of original consents, we consider were carried out in good faith and to maintain a safe working area.”
Michel Soukop bought 11 Kirklee Terrace Lane for £605,000 in 2014 and was granted planning permission to upgrade the property shortly after.
Their agent at the time was director of Larkhall-based ALS Planning Ltd, Alistair Macdonald, who was head of Planning, Development and Regeneration Services at Glasgow City Council until March 2013.
Mr MacDonald said yesterday that he is “not involved” with the new applications.
A source close to the contractor CBC Stone previously said the new building “won’t look materially different to how it looked previously,” if planning permission is granted.
However, a British Geological Survey report attached to the application notes that: “None of the quarries that might have supplied the stone used in the cottage at Kirklee Terrace Lane are active today, so an assessment of the closest-matching, currently available stones have been made.”
The report added: “The BGS Building Stone Assessment is designed to maximise the likelihood that a replacement stone and the original stone will be compatible.
“However, the small number and range of currently available stones compared to those that have been used in the past mean that it is commonly not possible to identify an ideal match.”
Michel Soukop was not at the address published on the planning application yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for CBC Stone declined to comment.
A council spokesman said: “Our understanding is that following the works to this property, the building suffered a collapse.
“Council planning officers were informed of this on Monday 15th February, and responded within the hour.
“The planning enforcement notice is being served imminently. We have not contacted the Procurator Fiscal.”
He added: “Our focus is very much on the reinstatement of this very important building and a swift resolution of the matter.”
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