Tramway Terrace surveyors 'concerned' by demolition recommendation

Report commissioned by DEFA questioned findings of surveys provided to DoI

A report by engineers who inspected Tramway Terrace after it was recommended for demolition says there is no evidence that the building is incapable of repair.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture commissioned a structural review of the building after the Department of Infrastructure expressed concern that it was unsafe and beyond economic repair.

The findings by Mann Williams came just two months after a previous survey carried out for the DoI recommended the building be demolished 'without further delay'.

The earlier inspection found "at present No's 1-3 Tramway Terrace are unfit for any purpose and their condition is continuing to deteriorate", and suggested the use of emergency building control measures to demolish the property.

The survey by MC2 Consulting, conducted for the DoI, was carried out in August, and found that without demolition there would be a "likelihood of catastrophic failure of the structure", and that "the crash decks currently erected at the front and rear of the building are likely to be completely overwhelmed if a significant failure of the masonry were to occur."

A second report provided to the DoI by Burroughs Stewart Associates also recommended immediate demolition.

However, the report to DEFA said that it "would note with concern that the various structural reports that have formed the basis for recommending demolition have either focused only on a small proportion of the building or have been based on comment provided by others, rather than expressing their own first-hand evidenced based opinion."

The report states "it must be strongly questioned why the engineers at MC2 and BSA recommend demolition of the whole terrace, which has statutory protection as part of a registered building group, without having entered these buildings and relying on other opinion without question."

It goes on to say "of the various reports prepared on behalf of the Department of Infrastructure none identify or acknowledge [that demolishing a registered building should be a last resort]."

The Mann Williams report also highlights that in 2018 a previous report commissioned by the DoI identified a number of repairs and remedial measures. Its survey for DEFA found that the majority or potentially all of those recommendation were not carried out, resulting in further deterioration of the building.

The reports have been published in response to a Freedom of Information request, which has also seen correspondence relating to the state of the building published.

An email from a Douglas City Council dilapidation enforcement officer, sent prior to the release of Mann Williams' findings, raises concern that the scaffold around the building could be pushed into the road and endanger the public if the building were to collapse, and stating that they would have expected a road closure given the height of the building.

Questions were also raised over whether the DoI would be insured if someone were to be injured as a result of a collapse within the building.

On 18 October, the Department of Infrastructure announced that the building was to be demolished, before confirming on 8 November that the building could be repaired after receiving the report from Mann Williams.