Calls for inquiry into demolition of historic listed building in Paisley

Campaigners are calling for an inquiry into the demolition of a B-listed building in Paisley.

The former Territorial Army hall on the town’s High Street was severely damaged in a fire in March 2020 and has been derelict since.

An architectural gem constructed in 1896, it once housed scores of Army reserves.

Renfrewshire Council said it had “no choice” but to issue a dangerous building notice to site owners JR Construction after scaffolding that supported the facade was removed last October.

The local authority ordered bosses to either begin re-instating the facade support system within three weeks, which had been removed in October 2024, or knock down the remains.

JR Group told the Renfrewshire Gazette that the scaffolding had become dangerous, sinking into the ground and “pulling the building” forward, posing a “risk to life”.

JR Group began tearing down the remains of the building last week.

Campaigners want an investigation into the demolition of the historic building.

Renfrewshire councillor Will Mylet has a personal connection to the building, having previously lived there when he joined the Army.

He told STV News: “We’ve got some of these iconic buildings right across the whole of Renfrewshire. The worrying thing is, where does this end? What happens with this site afterwards?

“There’s nothing to stop them going ahead and destroying our heritage and history.

“We need an independent public inquiry into what happened here throughout the whole process. It would give me the opportunity to learn from it as well.

“What can we do further to protect these buildings? This is something which will affect the whole of Scotland.”

JR Group had plans approved to convert the site into “state-of-the-art” student flats in October 2020.

The company insists it carried out the demolition after consulting the council – which the local authority denies.

A spokesperson for JR Group said: “We took the decision in full consultation with the local authority to remove the support structures as it had become unsafe and could not be made good due to safety reasons.

“We will continue to engage fully with the local authority now and in the future and we are keen to see the site developed at an appropriate juncture.”

Renfrewshire Council accused JR Group of ignoring formal notices to protect the facade, and choosing to demolish it despite its recommendation.

A spokesperson said: “Following the decision of the owners of the private building to remove the facade support system, the council had no choice but to serve a Dangerous Buildings Notice (DBN) on the former TA Building in Paisley to maintain public safety

“When considering the content to be included in the Dangerous Building Notice (DBN), council officers sought a quote from a UK specialist for the reinstatement of a suitably designed facade retention system which was approximately £800,000 – and does not include the cost of ongoing monitoring and any maintenance works required until a viable use for the site is found.

“If the owner were to fail to comply with the DBN, the responsibility to carry out the specified work and meet the costs would lie with the Council and the Council is not in a position to fund these works on a privately-owned building – with no guarantee that the costs would be fully recovered from a lengthy legal case.

“To reiterate, the council’s preference was for the facade retention system to be reinstalled and the building maintained, but the owner has taken the decision to carry out demolition after having removed the facade support system.”