A section of roof has collapsed at an historic building which is being ‘appropriately maintained’ by the Ministry of Defence.
The former St Andrews School in Shandon, which stands above the Faslane Peace Camp, has stood empty for decades.
Registers of Scotland records show it was bought by the MoD in December 1989 for £2.5m, the equivalent according to the Office for National Statistics composite price index of £6.2m today.
And another listed building just across the road is still empty after being bought with public money six years ago.
Concern has grown for both buildings in recent years, and now part of the former school, originally known as Shandon House, is completely open to the elements.
It was designed by Charles Wilson, a fashionable Glasgow architect of the 1840s, and is B-listed, meaning it is ‘of special architectural or historic interest’.
Immediately on the other side of the A814 in Shandon is the South Lodge, which the MoD bought for £180,000 in 2014 and has stood empty since then.
This was the work of J T Rochead, who also designed the nearby Blairvadach building currently owned by Argyll and Bute Council – which has also stood empty for several years – and the Wallace Monument near Stirling.
It was originally built as part of West Shandon House, also known as Shandon Hydro, a spectacular mansion – described as the ‘biggest and best’ in the Helensburgh area – which has now been demolished.
This week a naval base spokesperson said: “A number of different options for the sites have been considered and we continue to explore their viability.
“In the meantime, both the former St Andrew’s School site and the South Lodge of West Shandon House have been secured on health and safety grounds.”
Historic Scotland guidance states that owners of listed buildings are responsible for the repair and maintenance of their property.
It adds: “If you deliberately neglect the building to justify its demolition and redevelopment of the site, the planning authority can buy the building at a price which excludes the value of the land for redevelopment.
“Planning authorities are able to undertake urgent works to preserve an unoccupied listed building (or unoccupied parts of an occupied listed building), provided that the owner is given seven days notice of the intention. The cost of these urgent works can be reclaimed from the owner.”
A timeline of neglect: The MoD’s buildings in Shandon
- 1989 The site including St Andrews School is bought by the MoD.
- May 2006 According to the Buildings at Risk Register, planners report that the MoD is ‘considering disposal plus some development in the grounds’. An application to brick up some ground floor windows was approved. Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust has expressed an interest in the building.
- June 2006 The register reports that planners have inspected the building internally and found it to be in a very poor condition. There are two localised but extensive areas of dry rot and several areas of wet rot, failing lintels and falling plasterwork.
- May 2015 Asked why the South Lodge had been bought the previous year and what the plans were for the other building, an MoD spokesman tells this website: “Due to its close proximity to the southern end of HMNB Clyde, this acquisition will be a useful addition to the estate footprint. The building will be appropriately managed and maintained and there are a number of options being considered for its future use. MoD continues to evaluate options for the St Andrews site as part of a wider infrastructure programme ahead of HMNB Clyde becoming the Submarine Centre of Specialisation by 2020.”
- August 2016 Rhu and Shandon Community Council hears that there have been ‘incursions’ into the former school site with ‘temporary structures’ erected. A naval base spokesperson says: “Both Shandon House and South Lodge have been made secure on health and safety grounds and continue to be appropriately managed to ensure they are watertight and protected from weather damage while the MoD evaluates options for the sites.
- September 2017 A spokesperson for HM Naval Base Clyde says: “The MoD is continuing to evaluate options for the sites in question. While the evaluation is ongoing the buildings continue to be appropriately managed in order to ensure that they are protected from weather damage.”
- December 2018: MP Brendan O’Hara says: “I don’t think there’s anything appropriate about allowing historic and local building assets to fall into disrepair, nor for them to not be used for the common good. If the MoD cannot use these assets, they should be sold on to someone who will make good use of them before it’s too late.”
- February 2019: A Royal Navy commodore tells the community council that the MoD is considering the former school’s future use, and the listing is ‘under discussion with Argyll and Bute Council’ – in fact Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for the classification of listed buildings.
- December 2019: A Faslane spokesperson says: “The MoD continues to appropriately manage and maintain both the former St Andrews School site and the Southern Lodge of West Shandon House.”
I think this a case of kettle and pot As a former submariner based at Faslane I lived in Ardencaple.. Behind me staood a block of flats former property of the MOD.. these had been sold to the council. they were empty.. this was in 1980. two years ago, I went back to Helensburgh and Ardencaple.. the mod quarters had been sold off.. Now the childrens playground was gone. but the flats were still empty.