Demolition work on an Alexandria church that was gutted by a blaze in April got underway last week, after it was deemed a public safety risk.
A huge fire engulfed the former St Andrew’s Church in Main Street on April 23, a week after a smaller blaze had been extinguished at the same venue.
The building is owned by Northern Irish businessman Andrew Cuthbert, who purchased the church in an online auction in 2015 for £62,000.
In April he told the Lennox that the building was not insured against wilful fire-raising, however was keen to raise funds to restore the kirk to its former glory.
However, the damage proved too extensive, with a structural engineer’s report declaring the building a public safety risk.
Last week, West Dunbartonshire Council moved to arrange an emergency demolition.
A statement, the local authority said: “The former St Andrew’s Church suffered serious fire damage in spring 2022. Since then, the condition of the building has continued to deteriorate and following a recent inspection by the Principal Building Standards Surveyor and a structural engineer, we have been made aware that it now presents a danger to public safety.
“As such, West Dunbartonshire Council has a duty to undertake an emergency demolition.
“To facilitate this demolition, an emergency road closure must be put in place in Main Street between Overton Road and Church Street between 6am on Wednesday, October 26 and 6pm on Friday, November 4.
“A further partial closure, with two-way contraflow traffic, will be in place from 6pm on Friday, November 4 until Friday December 2.
“Access will be maintained to both streets during partial closure and to the leisure centre, the taxi rank will not be accessible during this time.
“The closures will not prevent access to any properties or businesses in the Main Street.
“We apologise for the short notice, but due to the condition of the building and the risk to public safety, it is essential that these works are carried out immediately We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.”
Concerned residents raised concerns about the Smollett mausoleum and graves, with a WDC spokeswoman adding: “The council do not own this building but due to its deterioration in recent days, we have a duty to undertake this emergency work due to concern for public safety.
“Every care possible is being taken to protect the graves on site, including the mausoleum. A crash deck scaffolding system will be used to protect graves whilst the demolition is being undertaken.”
Last year, charity Viresco Studios was awarded a grant of £750,000 by the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, and said they would work in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council to transform the venue into a state-of-the-art creative venue.
However, councillors raised concerns that Mr Cuthbert was not prepared to sell the building, leading to the funding being withheld.
Mr Cuthbert claimed he was offered £20,000 for the building, but refused the offer due to the investment he’d already made, explaining: “This was a building that formed part of my own and my wife’s pension. A building I had put huge amounts of personal time into, and a building I wanted to be part of to help the community in the way I hoped through funding young people once it had come to
life.
“I didn’t understand who benefitted from seeing me personally significantly out of pocket.”
The council spokeswoman added: “West Dunbartonshire Council will pursue recovery of its reasonable costs through the mechanisms provided in legislation.”
Police Scotland said enquiries into the blaze were ongoing.
