North Ness evacuation defended after ‘reassuring’ new tests
Tests at the council’s vacant North Ness premises have “been reassuring” – raising the prospect that staff may soon return to the headquarters which were evacuated due to safety fears.
Initial findings of tests conducted this month suggest the amount of work needed on the building, known as the White House, will be less than may have been anticipated.
In September 2016 the council’s flagship building was evacuated amid fears over a “sudden collapse” of the floors.
Since the £7.3 million building was vacated council officials have remained tight-lipped about the progress of investigations, pointing vaguely to issues such as “sagging” floors and “deflections”.
But the findings of this month’s load test, which comes nearly a year-and-a-half after the offices were initially evacuated, suggest that the situation is not as bad as initially feared.
The council’s director of corporate services, Christine Ferguson, told The Shetland Times the council was right to evacuate the building as they were advised to by their landlords Shetland Leasing and Property (Slap).
She said: “We were advised to evacuate by our landlord. I think we were right to move on their advice.”
The council official would not be drawn on claims, made by a well-placed source, that the load test – which is understood to have involved placing water-filled tanks in various positions – showed the floors to actually be stronger than expected.
“I don’t know where that’s come from”, she said.
An email circulated to council staff by Ms Ferguson, however, said: “The load test has now been completed and initial results have been reassuring with regard to the condition of the building.
“This should mean that the extent of the works that will be required before we can move back into the building should not be as great as it might have been.”
The email also revealed that a timescale for moving staff back into the building will be available once a final “detailed analysis” of the load test is made available.
Last year The Shetland Times revealed, through a Freedom of Information request, that the SIC continued to pay rent to Slap despite the building sitting vacant. The lease was to cost the council £467,000 per annum when they took occupancy in 2012, with upwards adjustments for inflation.
The Shetland Times has attempted to contact a Slap director but has been unable to get a response.
• In-depth report in Friday’s Shetland Times
Christopher Johnston
No need to defend the evacuation for safety’s sake. What should be attacked is the 16 month delay between the evacuation and beginning. Load testing is often done during construction and requires only a few days to implement – not 16 months. Additional time will yet be needed for corrective repairs and then SIC must re-occupy the building. It isn’t over yet.
I suspect the reason for the delay is teams of lawyers jousting and bickering behind closed doors. Had this project not been an incestuous relationship between Council and its child SCT and its grandchild SLAP, the matter could have been promptly resolved.
As it stands, Shetland folk are the losers and will continue paying to clean up this debacle. And they deserve a clear answer from Council, not from an employee.
Christopher Johnston
45 days have passed since this “reassuring” post, and I assume the added expense and inconvenience continue. When will SIC, SCT, and SLAP make clear their plans? Or are the lawyers still arguing while the costs continue to mount?
John Irvine
This has cost the council and local tax payers a fortune, why have these tests taken so long to be done?
The only one who has benefited from this shambles has been SLAP, maybe they should pay back some if not all of the rent that the council has had to pay while the White house was not being used?
Peter Hamilton
What is Christopher thinking of to attack the “incestuous relationship between Council and its child SCT and its grandchild SLAP”? Doesn’t he realise these traditional arrangements are part of Shetland’s heritage and therefore should never be questioned?