A derelict house that has blighted a Fife high street for years could at last be dealt with, following an eight-year battle that ended in the Court of Session.
The two-storey eyesore in Leslie’s conservation area has been left to decay for more than 30 years, with boarded-up windows and rubbish and scrap in the garden.
Throwing out an appeal against a compulsory purchase order, Lord Menzies said the state of the garden was likely to attract infestation and the house detracted “very seriously” from the general scene.
The judge also dismissed owner John Mowbray’s case as being without merit and the result of “nothing more than a dissatisfaction” with the outcome of an earlier appeal to the Scottish Government.
He said Mr Mowbray’s grounds of appeal were difficult to understand, “of doubtful relevance” and contained an innuendo suggesting a “hidden agenda on the part of Fife Council”. The appellant, he said, appeared to suggest the council owned the building and ought to have maintained it.
No steps appear to have been taken to maintain the house since 1981, Lord Menzies said.
“The house has become increasingly derelict, it is partially open to the elements and potentially liable to rot and other decay,” he said. “The garden ground is largely filled with waste building and other material, in addition to a scrap car.”
A compulsory purchase order was made by Fife Council in November 2006, giving the local authority the right to buy without the owner’s consent.
After an inquiry in 2012, a reporter appointed by Scottish ministers confirmed the order, finding “a clear disregard for the proper upkeep of the building”.
A Fife Council spokesman said it is likely the house will be put on the market.
Head of legal services Iain Matheson said: “We’ve taken positive action to improve the appearance of Leslie High Street by securing ownership of this building, which had been seriously neglected over many years.
“We’ll need to fully investigate the structural condition of the building before making any final decision on the future of the site.
“We anticipate that the building will be advertised for sale with the objective of bringing the site back into productive use.”
He also confirmed the local authority would be seeking to recover the costs incurred by the court proceedings.
Leslie councillor Fiona Grant said she is pleased with the result but aware there is still some way to go toward seeing the house restored and lived in once more.
She told The Courier: “It looks absolutely dreadful. It has detracted considerably from the High Street, which is in a conservation area.”
However, she added: “All that happens now is the council has a right to buy it. The council doesn’t want such a property and, as far as I’m aware, its current plan is to sell it again immediately.
“Someone could buy it but do nothing with it.
“Unfortunately, this is not the only empty property in Leslie High Street. I’m hoping that this will act as a message to the other owners that, one at a time, the council will be looking at what can be done to help support and hurry up any work that has been significantly delayed.”