A FRESH application has been submitted to demolish unsafe derelict Victorian mill buildings in Okehampton after the architect charged with putting in the application warned their gable end is close to collapse.

Local architect Geoff Cawse warned action needed to be taken urgently to either shored up or demolish the remaining buildings at the Old Mill. A public path linking the main road and the Old Mill car park has been closed off due to safety concerns.

Mr Cawse has drawn up plans for site owner Simon Essex of the Okehampton Skills and Sports Trust, who is now applying to demolish the unsafe buildings to make way for a 30-space car park on part of the site.

He said: ‘The Old Mill site contains a number of buildings and structures that have long been derelict and present a safety hazard. Devon Building Control have been aware of the condition of these buildings for the past decade, at least.

‘However, they have not yet formally issued a “dangerous structure notice” because the applicant has been proactive in attempting to ensure the safety of the public.

‘The gable end wall that faces the public right of way is perhaps the most dangerous element of the structure and has forced the closure of the footpath. The gable could be shored, although this would also close the footpath to facilitate the shoring.

‘The site has been the subject of numerous applications and proposals ranging from a large hotel chain to residential development. The site, as a whole, has been carefully reviewed and a viability study undertaken. The result being this application to remove the dangerous buildings and utilise the remaining structures to create a parking area.’

This is the latest twist in a planning saga which saw the trust go as far as putting up a state-of-the-art bat house to rehouse the building’s only remaining occupants – but still see permission refused to demolish the unsafe buildings by WDBC.

Mr Cawse explained that the current proposal was a stop gap for half the site.

‘We needed to get something moving, because the last applications were refused because there wasn’t a plan of what we wanted to do with the rest of the site. So at the moment, we are focusing on the lower site of the site and it gives the opportunity for the rest of the site for future development.’ It is this part, closest to the river, where it is proposed to build the car park. The proposals to demolish the buidings, which will see the Grade II listed factory chimney remain in place, will also allow for a pavement to be created along Mill Road, a dangerous route for traffic.