The new owners of an historic Broughty Ferry home have given assurances the property’s windows will be restored after residents spotted shards of wood and glass dumped in a skip outside.
Neighbours expressed concern over the “substantial” level of work being carried out at 35 Camperdown Street, a Category B-listed villa built around 1890 by local architect Charles Ower.
Despite no planning application being noted anywhere on Dundee City Council’s official records, the owners of the building appear to have removed windows and panelling over several floors and boarded up large areas of the exterior.
The property, which forms part of the Grove Conservation Area along with other nearby buildings listed by Historic Scotland for their special architectural or historical interest, was sold earlier this year after being advertised for a fixed price of £450,000.
It is understood the owners have informed planning department officials that windows will be returned to the building following restoration work but some residents have expressed concern over the impact on the area’s heritage.
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Councillor Craig Duncan confirmed he had been in touch with the planning department directly to ask them to investigate.
He said: “I don’t know who owns it or what their intentions are but I would certainly take a very dim view of any actions which denigrate the cultural importance of the area.
“I have been contacted by a number of people with concerns and I believe there are questions to be answered about the substantial level of work being done.
“My general view is that there are rules set out by the council about what you can and cannot do without permission, and those rules are not there to be ignored. I expect the planning department to investigate and take any appropriate action.”
A building’s listing covers its interior, exterior and any object or structure fixed to a building, or which falls within its grounds. The alteration or removal of any features or fixtures requires listed building consent.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, described the current condition of the Camperdown Street property as “an awful shame”.
She said: “The building is very old. The new owners haven’t been in long and I don’t know if maybe the windows were in a bad way before but certainly I wasn’t aware all this was going to happen. They haven’t spoken to me at all.”
Work could be heard ongoing at the property on Monday when The Courier approached the new owners for comment, but there was no answer.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “We are in discussion with the owners, who have advised us they sent away the historic windows for restoration and they will be returned as part of a wider repair plan for the building.”
