Concerns grow as homeless people use derelict Heathhall factory for shelter
Councillors agreed to go ahead with the £50,000 feasibility study to explore future options for the site.
Safety concerns have been raised following reports of homeless people using a dangerous and derelict factory for shelter at night.
The former Interfloor factory in Heathhall is a no-go zone due to the poor condition of the dilapidated building, however there have been sightings of people sneaking in at night.
Alarm bells were raised at a recent community council gathering, and the issue was also discussed at the Dumfries and Galloway full council meeting last week.
Lochar Councillor Ivor Hyslop said: “The building is dangerous. My recollection from the last meeting of the community council was that three people have been seen going in at night and coming out in the morning.
“So whether it’s being used for accommodation by homeless people just now, I don’t know – but we as an authority aren’t allowed to go into the building because it’s dangerous.
“The police can’t go in because it’s dangerous and firefighters can’t go in. I take it ambulance will be the same.
“What happens if somebody gets injured in there in the meantime? Whose responsibility is it to make that building safe so that nobody gets injured?”
Jamie Little, the council’s strategic housing and regeneration team leader, replied: “Our building control service are spending a lot of time and resource trying to keep the building as safe and secure as they possibly can.
“They’ve installed Harris fencing and they’re out there inspecting at least on a weekly basis. If they get reports that somebody has managed to get into the building, then they’re back out to try and find out where the issue has arisen.
“So at the moment our responsibilities around keeping the public safe around the building and within it would normally fall on the owners.
“But we are in this position where the property is now currently ownerless, which makes it incredibly challenging in terms of those liabilities.”
He added that the council is continuing to stay alert at the site and is working to keeping the public safe around the building.
Councillors last week approved spending £50,000 to commission a study to explore potential future uses for the former Interfloor factory.
It was built over a century ago by the Arrol-Johnston car company, but has been derelict for years and has become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.
There have been repeated cases of vandalism and unauthorised access at the building in recent years.
Due to the site’s previous uses as a car and aeroplane factory, and subsequently an industrial complex, the land has been identified as a potential area of contamination.
Although the council does not own the site, it has engaged with interested parties, including Historic Environment Scotland and potential developers, in a bid to regenerate it.
The company that formerly owned the site, DCR DG1 Limited, has now been dissolved, meaning that the factory has fallen into the hands of the Crown.
The appraisal agreed upon last week will provide a clearer picture of what could be possible at the site – from restoration to potential redevelopment – and help attract interest from investors or development partners.
Jamie Little, the council’s strategic housing and regeneration team leader, explained: “What we would expect to get in return for the £50,000 is high-level ideas around potential development opportunities, but also some potential costs that would come with that – and also ruling out anything that can’t be done on the site.”