Derelict Bridge of Allan eyesore villa one step closer to demolition

by · The Courier

A derelict villa in the centre of Bridge of Allan will soon be knocked down.

A building warrant for the demolition was approved on Monday, November 4.

The work is expected to cost around £10,000, according to the application.

Woodside, located on the town’s main thoroughfare at 105 Henderson Street, has been an eyesore for decades, with boarded up windows and overgrown vegetation.

The first floor and areas of the Victorian building’s roof are thought to have collapsed.

The existing building was described as not being “practical nor desirable” for retention and renovation in the application.

The building next door, 103 Henderson Street and the former Ivy Hotel, is also set to become flats.

Local worries about ‘overdevelopment’

In August 2023, consent was granted to knock down Woodside, and build two new villas to house 14 apartments.

Two four-storey buildings are proposed for the site, with Juliet balconies and parking at the front – 14 spaces for residents, seven for visitors, and 18 spots for bikes.

How the flats are to look. Image: Bobby Halliday Architects

While many Bridge of Allan residents welcomed the redevelopment, they had concerns over overcrowding, insufficient parking, and traffic.

At the time, a spokesperson for the town’s community council wrote: “While welcoming the interest in developing the site, the application is, in our view, an overdevelopment.

“Going from what was formerly a single dwelling, albeit abandoned for a number of years, to 14 separate residences, is too much.”

Nonetheless, the plans were green-lit with conditions.

Both buildings at 103 and 105 Henderson Street were left to rot. Image: Google Street View

Previous care home plan rejected

It is not the first time a redevelopment of the Woodside property has been suggested.

In 2021, plans to convert the derelict property into a 60-bedroom care home were refused by officials.

Elsewhere in Bridge of Allan, further along the same street, the derelict Royal Hotel is up for sale.

Priced at £1.25 million, marketers Christie and Co suggest it could become residential homes, or continue as a hotel.

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