More than £200,000 spent on security and demolition works at fire-ravaged Robertson’s furniture store is still to be recouped by Dundee City Council.
A Freedom of Information request revealed £34,325.64 was spent on “securing” the property before a deliberate fire destroyed it late last year.
Six children were charged with breaking in and starting the blaze.
A spokesperson for the local authority said Dundee Plant Ltd boarded up the building “on the instruction of the council.”
The local authority said site owners, Structured Housing Ltd, were invoiced for the amount, four days after the art deco style B-listed building was destroyed.
The spokesperson added: “The sum demanded is still outstanding, however the council is undertaking recovery of these monies due through all means open to it.”
Additionally, £172,228 has been spent “to date” on “demolition and reinstatement of the ground” since the fire. This will also be billed to the site owners.
However, it’s now almost five months since the first invoice was sent out.
According to the council spokesperson: “There are some final works on fencing ongoing. When this is finished, the council will start the cost recovery process.” (for the larger amount).
Four 13-year-old males, a 13-year-old female and a 12-year-old male were arrested and charged in connection with the blaze just over a week after the incident.
‘Action on immediate danger’
In the days after the fire, the council acted according to safety directives under the Building (Scotland) Act, 2003.
In a written response to Liberal Democrat councillor, Fraser Macpherson, a council officer stated: “This (the act) states the local authority was obligated to undertake action where a building constitutes an immediate danger to persons, the public generally or to adjacent buildings or places.
“This was the case with the Robertson’s building which, as a result of the fire, was in danger of imminent collapse onto both Friarfield House and the Howff and had compromised the operation of several key businesses in central Dundee.”
Due to the threat to public safety, the officer explained there was no requirement for a standard procurement process for the demolition.
They continued: “Although the act makes no requirement for tendering of emergency works, I would note that the relevant council officers have a collective 30 years’ experience in dealing with dangerous buildings so are well aware of the likely outturn costs when instructing works.
“Finally, any works undertaken are recorded “open-book” such that the contractor’s costs can be fully interrogated to determine that these are appropriate before any payments are made.”
A “stand-by” contractor carried out the demolition, enabled by hiring a “specialist long-reach demolition appliance” owned by DEM-Master Demolition, a firm based in Bathgate.
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