IT was a knock on the door with emergency services telling residents to evacuate their homes in 15 minutes.

Dr Reginald Clayton and his wife Dr Alison Michie were among those who had to scramble for belongings and any vital items they may need when they were told the area close to the Trinity Tower in Glasgow’s west end was being cordoned off due to fears for the historic building over concern of Storm Malik which was expected to be severe.

Now six weeks on residents are still living in temporary accommodation and the longer they remain out of their homes, they face a greater impact on their livelihoods and way of life.

Read more: Scotland's Covid memorial: poignant step as cherished memories are buried

A newly formed action group is now looking for answers as to when they will be allowed to return home and what is the exact nature of work being carried out that requires their homes to remain behind a cordon.

A ring of steel was thrown up around the Park Circus homes on January 29 when it was feared the building could be at risk when a fierce storm was on its way. Although not responsible for the building, Glasgow City Council took the decision to order the evacuation for public safety reasons.

 

A ring of steel remains around Trinity Tower in Glasgows Park Circus which has displaced residents. From left, Francesca Barrow, Dr john Doyle, Rosemary McIlroy and son Jamie, Doron Finkelstein. Photo by Gordon Terris.

A ring of steel remains around Trinity Tower in Glasgow's Park Circus which has displaced residents. From left, Francesca Barrow, Dr john Doyle, Rosemary McIlroy and son Jamie, Doron Finkelstein. Photo by Gordon Terris.

 

However, work was already due to get under way before then and the structure, which dates back to the 1850s and was once a training centre for Church of Scotland ministers, was already covered in scaffolding to allow for essential work to go ahead after previous reports found stresses with stonework and that full refurbishment was required. Planning permission for refurbishment work was granted in December 2020.

And in January 2021 police were called to the tower after crumbling stonework came crashing down on the pavement below.

Residents were told they could be out of their homes for two to three months and as it reaches the halfway they are looking for answers.

Dr Clayton, of the Park Action Group, said: “We were told movement sensors placed in one of the Towers had been triggered and the Tower was in danger of uncontrolled collapse.

“The council says the building still poses a risk to life but will not release any engineering reports or provide any plan of action for its stabilisation or controlled dismantling.”

Dr Clayton said residents have found it impossible to get back into their homes to assess any flood damage after the storm weekend.

He added: “I need licences and permits for my daily job and others might need access for medicine for their children, but the council has been strong-armed about access. We still don’t have an update on what two to three months means.

“We are extremely concerned and are running into insurance issues as our homes have not be occupied for more than 30 days and if that tower does fall down and we are not insured then who is liable? We have this huge sword of Damocles or Trinity hanging over us.

“We want to know what is the plan of work and when will it be deemed safe to get back into our homes.”

Read more: Revealed: Glasgow equal pay row strike dates are confirmed

Fellow resident and music producer Keith McIvor, of Optimo Music, said his livelihood is affected as his studio is in his home.

Mr McIvor, who has worked with artists including Franz Ferdinand and the Manic Street Preachers, said: “After two years of not being able to work due to the pandemic, I now face continued uncertainty due to having no access at all to my music collection or studio equipment, both of which are essential for me to be able to work. I need to get my work out as my financial is desperate post pandemic I have a lifetime collection of records which are my livelihood. If the tower is so dangerous, then take it down.”

 

Trinity Tower in Glasgows Park Circus remains cordoned off. Photo by Gordon Terris.

Trinity Tower in Glasgow's Park Circus remains cordoned off. Photo by Gordon Terris.

 

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said they had communicated regularly with residents affected by the exclusion zone around this dangerous building, but while the Trinity Tower is considered a dangerous building, as it currently is, the council is required to protect wider public safety by restricting access to the building.

The spokesman added: “It should be understood that the timescale of two to three was given by the owners’ contractor once they had confirmed the scale and nature of the works they would have to carry out to make the building safe. We relayed this information to affected residents, and continue to work with the contractors to ensure people can return home as quickly as possible. Residents have absolutely been given (risk-assessed) access to collect essential items, and again it should be noted that more regular visits are not feasible given the great increase in risk that this would entail.

“The condition and maintenance of the Trinity tower is a matter for the owners of that building, and repair work instructed by them was already underway when our Building Standards team was alerted by their contractors, who were concerned about its condition.”

A spokeswoman speaking on behalf of the design team, which includes the owners of the tower and their surveyors, told The Herald all media was being handled by the council as they had put a cordon in place.

The spokeswoman declined to comment any further on the nature of repairs being carried out and how long this was likely to take.