Two streets to be demolished in mining subsidence village Coalsnaughton

Residents of two streets in a Clackmannanshire village facing mining subsidence have been told their homes will have to be demolished.

Meetings were held with residents of Coalsnaughton on Thursday evening where 97 properties have been evacuated due to ground movement.

Officials from the local council and the Mining Remediation Authority (MRA) told them that 60 houses on two streets, Benbuck View and Dunmoss View, would have to be knocked down.

The MRA said remediation work will be carried out on two other affected streets, Nechtan Drive and Langour, to make them safe.

Homeowners will be offered compensation payments but some of those who attended the meetings told BBC Scotland News there was uncertainty about how much they would receive.

Carl Banton, MRA chief operations director, said houses in the two streets were "beyond the point of rehabilitation."

He said: "Subject to the necessary approvals, our proposed approach is to acquire and demolish the properties on those streets.

"We know this is very difficult news for residents and their families.

"It is not a conclusion we have reached lightly, but it reflects the level of damage, the work that would be needed to make the ground safe, and the importance of giving people a clear, safe and practical route forward."

Some 256 residents in four streets in the former mining village were moved out of their homes after ground movement was discovered in May.

An eight-week investigation by the MRA confirmed that the issue, which saw cracks appear in roads, paths, and homes, was related to historical mining work.

Alan Cameron, chairman of the Coalsnaughton Evacuees Residents Group, said residents had now been told that 46 properties in Benbuck View and Dunmoss View, the worst affected streets, were damaged beyond repair.

Another 14 properties were likely to be further damaged by future ground movement, he said, and so they would also be demolished.

Cameron, 40, said his family had moved between 13 different hotels over a 12-week period after the street was evacuated, before finding a rented property.

He said that the news was "absolutely devastating".

He said his family had "held onto the hope" for 14 weeks that they would return home to "some kind of normality".

Cameron added: "Last night we were told that isn't going to happen.

"It's heartbreaking having to tell your three and six-year-old children that they're never going to get their bedrooms or their safe place back.

"The trauma is absolutely unreal. Nobody, absolutely nobody, gets the trauma that you're going through as an individual and as a family trying to keep this together for everybody."

The ground movement is considered less serious in two other streets, Langour and Nechtan Drive.

Banton said: "In other affected areas, the position is different.

"At Langour, where movement has been more limited, repairs are expected to follow once ground stabilisation has taken place.

"Further stabilisation is also planned near Nechtan Drive, alongside road repairs on The Glen."

One resident said they had been told it was likely to take about 12 months for stabilisation and repair work to be completed.

The displaced residents include a mixture of private owners and Kingdom Housing Association tenants.

Banton added: "Obviously, we need to get properties valued, so we'll be doing independent values.

"We have asked the residents to, and we will help them to get their own independent values, so we can get to a position we can agree, what's marketable value for their properties.

"Each one needs to be individually valued, because that is the way it has to work, and then we all need to agree how we acquire those properties from them."

Benbuck View resident Simon Woodward, who has lived in the street for 17 years, said some residents were left in tears at the meeting.

But he added that it was an outcome he had been expecting.

Woodward, 67, said that while residents had been told their homes would be bought from them, many unanswered questions remained.

He said: "We were basically told that they are going to knock our houses down.

"It just looks like the dark side of the moon at the moment, holes everywhere, dangerous building signs put up by Clackmannanshire Council all over the place."

Woodward said residents had been "evicted by the police like criminals" when the street was evacuated in May.

He and his wife stayed in a hotel in Stirling for more than two weeks, before renting another property.

He said that they had put their "heart and soul" into the house for their retirement.

Woodward added: "We've spent tens of thousands of pounds. That's gone, they'll never pay us that back.

"I had really good buildings insurance and I had £1m worth of rebuild cover on that.

"If my house had burned down I'd have been in a much better situation than I am now."

Woodward said his insurance company had told him that it was now a matter for the MRA.

He added: "That means we're stuck on the miserable government minimum tariff for our house instead of a much better deal that I would have got with my insurance company."

Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, said the news was "absolutely devastating" for the affected residents.

He told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast: "For example, one woman that I'm aware of had only moved there within the last year.

"These homes have got stunning views across the valley towards the Ochil hills.

"This was her, if you like, forever home, and she had just got her garden shaded, the kitchen and so on, and then she's had to move out.

"Another gentleman has a memorial to his deceased wife in his garden.

"So this is a huge wrench for these individuals and, although it may not be unexpected, this will be devastating to them."

UK Energy Minister Michael Shanks promised support for those affected, working "side by side" with the Scottish government and Clackmannanshire Council.

He said: "This is a deeply challenging time for the families who have had their lives turned upside down.

"My thoughts are with those who have received extremely difficult news this week that their home is not safe to return to.

"I want to reassure these families again that no-one will be left to shoulder the burden alone."

Clackmannanshire Council chief executive Nikki Bridle, said: "Today my heart goes out to those who have now heard their homes are beyond repair and that they will not be able to return to them.

"While this news offers some clarity to those residents, who can perhaps now begin to move forward with a plan, I appreciate it remains a deeply unsettling and worrying time."

She said the council would continue to work with the MRA and others "as we move deeper into the recovery phase of the incident."

Many residents had become resigned to the fact that some homes would have to be demolished.

However, the fact that so many will have to come down will still be a shock.

The evacuated area includes both housing association and privately owned properties.

The details of the compensation scheme for residents have still to be made public.

But it is expected that owners will be offered compensation which, at a minimum, would be equivalent to the value of each property before the evacuation.

But will the compensation be enough to help them find a suitable new home?

Property prices in Coalsnaughton were relatively low.

Some residents have said that finding a new property of the same size could be expensive.