Former shop in Wick condemned as ‘damn disgrace’ and eyesore
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A former shop in Wick was described as a “damn disgrace” and eyesore for locals and tourists, at a meeting of the town’s community council.
The former Semichem shop on Wick’s High Street has had its fittings ripped out and is filled with a jumble of assorted furniture that was allegedly placed there by a business owner who left the town under a cloud.
Allan Farquhar, chairman of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council (RBWCC), brought up the issue as part of the group’s agenda of points to be addressed in the town and said that Wick and East Caithness councillor Raymond Bremner was contacted to provide updates on the premises.
RBWCC treasurer Joanna Coghill said: “It’s now a dumping ground, so I want to know when it got a change of use and I want answers.
“Do we go to planning, do we go to our ward manager? I want to know how we can chase that shop owner to tidy it up as it’s a damn disgrace. It’s just disgusting.”
The “change of use” refers to a perceived change of use from a shop to a storage facility. It was not clear at the meeting if that term is legally binding concerning this premises, however, and the chairman said that more inquiries need to be made. Members talked about sending queries to Highland Council’s planning and legal departments.
“It can take about three months to get an answer from them,” said one of the community council members.
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Coghill said: “I want to find out why the old Semichem shop has now been left as an absolute eyesore and seems to be used as ‘storage’ for what I can see as junk and furniture thrown in there.
“I want to know who is responsible for this mess and why no one from Highland Council has looked into what must surely be a health and safety issue and its change of use from a shop to a dumping ground.”
She says that it appears more like fly-tipping than a storage facility.
“This is right on our main street, part of the NC500 road – a pothole disaster as everyone knows – and for us locals, we have to look at this every day as we go about.
“It really does beggar belief that it can be left like this, without the building owner(s) doing anything, being brought to account to sort it out, even caring about their property and that the last ‘tenant’ seemed to do a midnight flit without concern for what they left behind and that person(s) is getting away with this.”
Mrs Coghill noted that many locals have been asking the same questions about the former shop on social media but, unfortunately, there are no answers at present.
“If we at the RBWCC start a ‘paper trail’ and show we are trying to chase this issue, somebody with the right authority, even the premises owner, might sit up and address the problem.”
