Almost 30 properties have now been evacuated due to safety fears over an unsafe building in St Ninians as repair work got underway on Tuesday morning.
The property, near the Lidl supermarket in the area’s main street, was declared unsafe after a private contractor raised concerns with council inspectors over the condition of several chimney stacks.
A ‘safety exclusion zone’ was placed around the building with eighteen properties initially evacuated and the road closed between Weaver Row and Williamfield Avenue.
However, following further inspections of the building and scaffolding, residents living at another ten properties on the opposite side of the road were also evacuated - with all affected homeowners being given alternative accommodation by Stirling Council.
The council spokesman said: “All residents have found alternative accommodation and the council continues to liaise with them to provide support where required.
“Working with the property owners, a contractor was appointed to make the building safe as soon as possible. This work got underway on Tuesday (23 May) morning, starting with the removal of the chimney stacks and scaffolding.
“At this stage it is still unclear how long it will take to make the building safe and reduce the safety exclusion zone. We will continue to keep residents updated on the progress of the work and when they can return home.
“We understand this is an extremely difficult situation for affected residents and is proving disruptive to other local people and road users. We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as the council takes this emergency action to keep people safe.”
