Landlocked listed mill 'must be demolished'

Engineering consultants have told car dealers Arnold Clark that a landlocked B-listed building on their Stirling site needs to be immediately demolished.

- KAIYA MARJORIBANKS

In February the car dealers sought new consents to make Kerse Mill structurally safe.

However, now consultants who have conducted ongoing checks on the building on their behalf say these measures and others won't be enough to mitigate the risks.

The three-storey derelict former corn mill and grain store off Kerse Road, which dates back to 1904, is surrounded by garages and workshops and has no direct access from a public road.

In 2019 Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd withdrew a bid to demolish the historic structure, which is one of the few remaining industrial buildings in Stirling dating from the early 20th century.

It was said to have become increasingly rundown and unsafe over the previous three decades to the point it was placed on the Buildings At Risk Register.

Arnold Clark owns the adjacent land and the building itself, which has been mostly unused since it was bought by the company in 1991. Efforts to sell it were unsuccessful. The building is believed to have already been surrounded by development when the company bought the site.

Information sent recently to Arnold Clark Ltd by engineering consultants Fairhurst, however, and forwarded to Stirling Council planners, stated: “We refer to our periodic inspections of the above property over several years.