A former Broch supermarket making way for a place of worship has found itself in the midst of a bizarre health and safety wrangle.
The Assembly of God (AOG) group is behind the demolition of the old C0-operative store on the town’s Albert Street.
Work is already well underway and will eventually see a new church rise from the site, with demolition, according to the group, now largely complete.
But work has taken a hiatus amidst concerns raised by members of the community that some of the specialist work was instead being carried out by congregation volunteers.
Church chiefs are adamant that work was carried out properly, but council officials have confirmed work was halted as Health and Safety inspectors became involved.
It is understood new contractors are being sought for elements of the project before work can resume.
One concerned resident claimed members of the AOG, which has a base further up the street, were being used to complete the demolition instead of an established firm and claimed work “mysteriously stopped” a few weeks in.
It has now been confirmed that there was an initial issue with the first contractors and that the Health and Safety Executive had to become involved.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “Work on this demolition was stopped until a new contractor could be sourced.
“Colleagues in building standards have been working with the new contractor, and with the Health and Safety Executive, and the original demolition warrant has been extended until the end of December.”
Mounds of steel beams and rubble now occupy the site of the old Co-operative supermarket
Patches of lino still remain visible on the floor, alongside remaining beam bases, in the fenced-off area.
One resident, who wished to remain nameless, lives near the current AOG centre and uses the new Co-op next door to the demolition site.
She said: “It was a massive store before they knocked it down. Bigger than the new one.
“The work started a while ago and all I remember seeing was a bunch of men in high-vis and hard hats.
“They took the building down in a really short period of time.”
Pastor Ben Ritchie said all work on the site had been carried out appropriately:
“The demolition work is complete and this can be viewed at Albert Street,” he said.
“There has been no voluntary work undertaken during the demolition. All work has been carried out by companies as agreed by contract.”
The Assembly of God’s plans for the former supermarket site were first approved in November last year.
Having lain empty for a number of years, the building on Albert Street was criticised for being an eyesore as it became increasingly dilapidated.
