A road in the centre of Banff which had been closed to protect the public from a dangerous building has been reopened by Aberdeenshire Council.

The listed building at 22/24 Low Street was subject to an Evacuation Notice, but remedial work has been sufficient to remove the immediate danger of collapse.

The Evacuation Notice has been removed and the owner of a shop within the building permitted to use the property again.

The building has suffered years of neglect and a recent inspection by a council engineer raised concerns over the safety of the building.

Since then all the owners of the property have come forward and have said they are prepared to carry out work needed to save the building from demolition.

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The road and pavement in front of it had been closed to protect passing motorists and pedestrians from the danger of collapse, but barriers have now been removed.

One of the property owners commissioned their own engineer to carry out a survey and initial works to make the building safe.

Officers said today the work had been carried out to a satisfactory standard, removing the present and immediate danger.

The council was conscious of the impact the situation was having on nearby residents and businesses and is happy to bring it to a swift resolution.

Aberdeenshire Council’s building standards manager, John McIntosh, said: “Our preference has always been to see the owners return this listed building to a safe condition, making a positive contribution to the conservation area.

“Unfortunately that view has not always been held by those who actually own the building, but we are pleased progress appears to be being made.

“In the short term, the work carried out this week has been sufficient to allow us to reopen the road and to allow the building to be used again.

“It will cost a lot of money to bring this building back to a good condition, but we will be delighted if the owners are now prepared to commit to this."

(GK/KMcA)