Aberdeen council chiefs have voted to use “all necessary powers” to tackle safety concerns at the blaze-hit Broadford Works.
Ramsay Milne, convener of the planning development management committee, said a paper would be going before members recommending they grant the council’s head of service permission to issue a dangerous building notice to owner Ian Suttie.
More than 40 firefighters battled a blaze at the derelict factory – the third in eight days and the latest in a long series over recent years – last Saturday.
The committee also agreed to delegate authority to the council’s head of planning and sustainable development, as well as Mr Milne and finance convener Willie Young, allowing them to serve notices under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.
Mr Milne said: “We were looking at a number of issues of concern, firstly and most importantly the safety of people, both the people entering the site and also the people who live around the area.
“We’re also very concerned about the buildings themselves in that they’re deteriorating. These are A-listed buildings, and we want them to be properly developed.
“Finally we’re concerned about the time it’s taking for the owner to develop the site given that he has planning consent.
“We’ve also authorised the head of planning to take any necessary action in conjunction with myself and the convener of finance to take on any works if we need to do them.
“We’ll claim that back off the owner but these things need to be dealt with quickly.”
Meanwhile SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, Kevin Stewart has tabled a number of parliamentary questions regarding the protection of the historic mill.
He said: “Local residents’ lives are being blighted by the persistent fire raising that is happening and many folk from across Aberdeen and beyond are concerned that our city’s heritage is being destroyed.
“I have posed a number of questions to the government about this situation and I fully intend to use all means at my disposal to try to get the owner of the site to live up to his responsibilities to ensure that the site is secure and to get on with developing the area or passing it to someone or an organisation who will.”