East Renfrewshire Council have refused conservation area consent to demolish a property in Giffnock.

An application was submitted back in April for the complete demolition of the two-storey, three-bay inter war villa at 30 Ayr Road, with the decision to refuse issued this week. 

The site is located in a prominent position on the corner of Ayr Road and Treemain Road, within the Lower Whitecraigs Conservation Area.

Explaining the refusal, planners said the building makes a “positive contribution to the character of the conservation area and is of townscape value.”

They also said that it had not been demonstrated that the building’s form or location makes its re-use extremely difficult.

Further, they stated that it had not be demonstrated that the structural condition of the building prevents its retention at a reasonable cost nor has it been demonstrated that reasonable efforts have been made to retain, repair and reuse the building.

Finally, planners said that steps had not been taken to establish the presence of bats on-site and it had not been demonstrated that protected species would not be adversely affected by the proposal.

Five objections were received for the proposal.

As the site is located within a conservation area, conservation area consent is required for the demolition.

Conservation Area Consent is a separate consent from planning permission and must meet different policy requirements, as required by the Development Plan and relevant guidance.

Planning permission for proposals for the site after demolition (a new detached home) were approved with conditions by the local review body on April 3 of this year, after being initially refused.