A TRUST set up by owners of properties in a crumbling Ballochmyle building dated from 1903 has reaped rewards.

The traditional sandstone tenement in Catrine’s conservation area will get a new lease of life with help from a new project.

There are six flats and two commercial units at the three-story building at 19-25 St Germain Street.

It will be first to benefit from East Ayrshire Council’s Town Centre Vacant and Derelict Buildings Grant Scheme.

Its remit is the restoration of buildings which are at risk or subject to restrictive legislation notices due to their poor state of repair.

Originally commissioned by the Co-operative in 1903, the building was designed by William Newlands and Gabriel Andrew, architects for Johnnie Walker and Sons at the time.

In recent times, as with many aged buildings, it had fallen into disrepair leading to a Dangerous Building Notice being issued in March 2012.

A structural engineer was appointed to carry out regular inspections and make recommendations regarding the main issues.

These included the balustrades on the first and second floor which give access to the flats via open-fronted balconies at the rear of the building.

Owners and tenants had to be evacuated while the engineers designed and installed a temporary system of props to allow safe passage until the balconies, which had come to the end of their structural lifespan, could be replaced.

In the meantime, the owners of most of the eight properties got together, set up a trust and deposited funds in a bank account to contribute half of the costs of the £62,000 project. This is being carried out by CMS Structural Designs and Donald Reid and Sons, a local building firm, with work scheduled to be complete by mid-November.

Ballochmyle councillor, Jim Roberts, said: “In East Ayrshire we’re blessed with a legacy of beautiful historic buildings, but sadly as they age they become more expensive to maintain. As a result some fall into a terrible state, with repair costs well beyond the means of their owners.

“All building owners have a responsibility and duty of care to keep their buildings in a fit state of repair, and while many owners have made great strides with the restoration of buildings in specific town centre locations thanks to our Conservation Area Regeneration Schemes (CARS), we are all conscious of other buildings in our communities which are in desperate need of attention and in danger of demolition.

“This is why we set up this Vacant and Derelict Buildings Grant Scheme, to help save our most at risk buildings and safeguard them for the future 19-25 St Germain Street, Catrine is the first such building to benefit from this new scheme which will allow us to step in and help lessen the impact of poorly maintained buildings on our streets.

“In this case the owners have been very keen to work with us to save this building. Without their own contributions and co-operation with us, the upper floors would have had to have been evacuated, leaving the the occupants homeless.

“The scheme will bring the building back into a safe condition, with the replacement of the two access balconies, repair and renewal of cast iron gutters and downpipes and partial replacement of the ground floor shop roof. A future maintenance plan for the building will also be agreed.”

“Having this limited fund available has been a huge help in this case, and we’ve already committed funding to a number of other projects.

“While our funds are restricted, we do have a team of dedicated regeneration specialists who are happy to advise on what grant funding and expertise may be available to help owners come to a good solution for their own properties.”

For more details about the new scheme and other funding available contact the planning and building standards team at 01563 576790.