Fife Council apply to knock down dilapidated buildings

Councillors were told of the "very sad" death at a committee meeting recently as plans were outlined to demolish a number of old and unsafe outhouses in the northern section of the graveyard.

The dilapidated buildings are all at least 100 years old and have become a target for anti-social behaviour with one of the structures posing a "risk to the personal safety of staff".

Another of the outhouses has a heavy sliding door that is in danger of falling on workers and a third can't be used as the door is "not attached".

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The council's application form said: "JCBs will demolish each building with care taken to protect the boundary wall by manual decoupling of the adjoining roof where applicable.

Fife Council have applied for listed building consent to demolish rundown old outbuildings in Dunfermline Cemetery. (Image: Fife Council)

"The buildings are in a state of disrepair and are attracting anti-social behaviour."

Listed building consent has been sought to demolish a bothy, a row of adjoining store rooms and former toilets, a garage block and a lean-to store.

At the City of Dunfermline area committee last month, Alan Paul, head of property services, told councillors: "We did have a very sad instance earlier this year of someone dying in one of our cemeteries, in one of the outbuildings at Dunfermline.

"We're in the process of removing these outbuildings at the moment as they're no longer used, and to ensure that we avoid repetition of that sort of experience."

The application form indicated that the cleared site, close to the pedestrian entrance at the junction of Robertson Road and Bellyeoman Road, would be used for "future development".

A condition survey said the bothy has an office, kitchen, toilet and shower room that's in "reasonable" condition while the row of adjoining lean-to store rooms and former toilets all have "maintenance issues".

This includes failing entrance doors that offer limited security and "in some cases present a risk to the personal safety of staff", as well as leaking pipes, signs of wet rot and corrosion.

There is "structural movement" in the brickwork of the garage block and the heavy sliding main door is at risk of coming off the runner and "falling on operatives".

And the lean-to store "cannot be fully utilised as the timber door is not attached and there are no means of making the building secure".

In the cemetery the council also plan to repair walls, fences and gates, including "vehicle damaged" stone pillars, and carry out drainage improvements.