A DANGEROUS building in Helensburgh Town Centre, which has previously forced the closure of part of a major road through the town, could be demolished under new plans.

A proposal has been lodged by Joe Lee for the complete demolition of the former Great Wall restaurant at 9 East Clyde Street, along with the adjacent flats.

But a design statement says it is hoped that an enforced demolition of neighbouring 5-7 East Clyde Street will enable development to proceed, as number 9 cannot be demolished otherwise.

Number 5-7 has been the subject of a dangerous building order by Argyll and Bute Council, and has on more than one occasion forced the closure of the street between Sinclair and Maitland Streets.

Mr Lee’s plans would see seven flats added to the site along with commercial space. Planning permission for seven flats on the site was previously granted in 2015, but nothing has ever been developed.

A decision from the council’s planning officers is expected by late March, and the public can now submit comments on the application.

The design statement, by planning agents Puregreenspace, said: “Less than two months after going on the market in 2016, East Clyde Street/the A814 directly in front of the building was closed due to a structural failure in the adjacent building 5-7 East Clyde Street which occurred on April 12 2016.

“Following these structural problems, the adjacent building was evacuated, and the road remained closed for four weeks following the incident. This led to a Dangerous Building Notice being served on No. 5-7 East Clyde Street, which has remained in place ever since.

“This has directly affected the marketing of the application site both for buyers and potential investors. Since the initial incident there have been several more road closures, in May 2018 for three months and then a further three weeks after Storm Ali in September 2018, then in October 2020 when sections of number 5-7 fell on the street in high winds.

“It was this incident in 2020 which prompted the council to order immediate repairs to No. 5-7 using the Dangerous Buildings Act 2003.

"During the 2020 incident, two sections of the roof at 9-11 East Clyde Street were damaged by the falling debris, which was not noticed until later in 2021 as a result of the road closure and the numerous lock-down periods that were in place at that time.

“Due to the condition of the adjacent site 9-11 cannot be demolished as that would cause a disproportionate collapse in 5-7 and therefore it is hoped that a refreshed planning permission for 9-11 and an enforced demolition of 5-7 will allow both sites to be successfully redeveloped.”

The statement added: “Currently the class use is sui generis/mixed, being class 3 restaurant for the first two floors and class 9 for the flat at attic level.

“The intention is to keep the ground floor as commercial class 1 or 2 with class 9 flats from first floor upwards, and therefore the class use will remain sui generis.”

To view the plans and submit comments, visit the council’s online planning portal at argyll-bute.gov.uk and use reference number 24/00148/CONAC.