The owners of a historic jute mill demolished without listed building consent last month could face criminal charges.
Dundee City Council is set to report owners Craigie Estates Ltd, part of James Keiller Estates, to the Procurator Fiscal for knocking down the dilapidated Wallace Craigie jute works without proper authorisation.
Craigie Estates said it took the decision to demolish the building, also known as Halley’s Mil, on May 12 because of safety concerns and maintains it had been given permission to knock it down.
Councillors on the planning committee will be asked to approve proposals to report the demolition to the Procurator Fiscal when it meets later this month.
Craigie Estates could then be charged if it is deemed a crime has been committed.
Separate statutory permissions under planning and building legislation are needed from the council before any works, including demolition, can be carried out.
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Historic Environment Scotland has confirmed it was not asked to review the listing and was not contacted about the demolition proposal.
It later advised: “The demolition of Wallace Craigie Works has resulted in the complete loss of a Category B Listed Building, part of Dundee’s rich industrial heritage.
“It is now a matter for the council to decide what is in the public interest to happen next. We would fully expect this to be appropriate to the scale and seriousness of the unauthorised works undertaken.”
A spokesman for Craigie Estates Ltd said: “An application for demolition of the building was lodged with Dundee City Council on December 21 2017.
“Some four months later when the council completed its own rigorous process, the council granted a Demolition Warrant dated April 24 2018 for the ‘existing deteriorating derelict building on grounds of public safety’.”
