A former mill in Stirling deemed at immediate risk of collapse could soon be fully demolished.
Owner Arnold Clark Automobiles is requesting permission to knock down the vacant B-listed Kerse Corn Mill on Kerse Road.
A recent letter from consulting engineers at Fairhurst included with the planning application read: “The condition is such that the building could not be safely repaired/refurbished and it remains our recommendation that the overall health and safety risk to the use of the surrounding areas imposed by this building is removed by it being demolished.”
And, according to correspondence from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, attempts to sell the mill for restoration have been unsuccessful.
It is now up to Stirling Council to decide whether or not the demolition can go ahead.
However, Arnold Clark’s planning application states that “support in principle” was given by Historic Environment Scotland and the council during a site meeting in December 2024.
‘Decayed state’ came 10 years after warnings
Built around 1904 as a grain store, Kerse Corn Mill is a rare surviving example of architecture constructed during the industrial expansion of Stirling in the early 20th century.
However, the historic structure has deteriorated over the last five decades to the point of being a danger to the public.
The crumbling historic building, which is located close to several car dealerships, has been fenced off for more than 10 years for safety reasons.
As The Courier reported in February, Arnold Clark sought Stirling Council approval earlier this year to carry out emergency work on Kerse Mill to make it safer.
But the car retailer has been aware of the “urgent” need to replace the mill’s roof since 2015.
Over the past decade, successive structural reports have recommended that the mill’s roof be removed and replaced.
In April 2024, a drone survey found the building to be in a “decayed state”.
The 120-year-old structure was added to Scotland’s Buildings at Risk Register in 1995, four years after Arnold Clark acquired it.
- Planning reference: 25/00140/LBC
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