As part of the continuing work to keep affected residents updated, partner organisations held an update meeting for those residents on Tuesday 2 June.
The priority of all Local Resilience Partners continues to be the safety and welfare of everyone involved, our officers remain in the local area to provide guidance and support to residents during what we appreciate is a worrying and uncertain time.
During the meeting Carl Banton, Chief Operation Director for the Mining Remediation Authority Mining Remediation Authority, explained that work is continuing at pace to establish the cause of this incident. A further 8 weeks will be needed for the Mining Remediation Authority to investigate the cause of the ground movement. Carl outlined the works that have been undertaken and shared images to help residents understand how the ground is moving.
Our thoughts are with the residents affected by this incident, and we understand that this news will be concerning for them.
We appreciate the support and concern shown by the wider Clackmannanshire community, and encourage everyone to follow the information and advice provided by the Council and our Local Resilience Partners.
The MRA is providing a weekly community update for residents on work taking place on site.
Updates on gas supply disconnection at Nechtan Drive and the temporary road closure at The Glen are posted on our Latest Information page.
Following the ground movement at Benbuck View, Coalsnaughton, which resulted in the evacuation of 30 homes on 18 May, further issues were reported and found on Dunmoss View, and as a result an additional 30 homes were evacuated on 27 May. With investigations ongoing, a further 28 properties in Nechtan Drive and nine properties in Langour were evacuated as a precautionary measure on 29 May. This brings the total number of evacuated properties to 97.
The sites have been secured and evacuated safely, without any injuries.
The priority of all Local Resilience Partners continues to be the safety of everyone involved, and our officers remain in the local area to offer further guidance to residents during what we appreciate is a worrying time for them. This includes offering support to the residents as they navigate the next steps, which will include contacting their insurers.
The specialist investigations undertaken by the Mining Remediation Authority are expected to take some time to complete, and they will continue to make sure that residents can be updated with progress as soon as this information becomes available.
The Council is working alongside our partners, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland, and the Mining Remediation Authority in response to this incident.
There have been signs of ground movement in the Benbuck View and Dunmoss View areas. As a precaution, 97 homes have been evacuated while experts carry out investigations.
Expert teams remain on site and will continue working over the next eight weeks to gather the information needed as quickly and safely as possible.
To provide reassurance to residents and the wider community, ground monitoring equipment has also been installed. Residents may notice markings on the roads and pavements, which are also being used by the surveyors to monitor ground movement.
Structural inspections of properties are being carried out, and these reports will be shared with affected residents in the coming weeks. In addition, slope and stability investigations are being undertaken.
The MRA continues to work closely with partners to ensure our investigations are safe and coordinated for the community.
As discussed at the residents’ meeting last week, the site is moving into a new phase of work to assess the cause of the issue affecting the area. Over the coming period the MRA will have three operational drilling rigs at Benbuck View working on site at the same time. This significantly increases activity levels and means the MRA must take additional steps to keep everyone safe.
For this reason, access arrangements are changing. While the drilling rigs are operational and construction activity is ongoing, resident access to Benbuck View properties will not be permitted, as it would not be safe to allow people to move around the site during this work. There will be no site access to Benbuck View from Saturday 6 June to Tuesday 9 June.
From Wednesday 10 June, if you need to collect essential belongings, you will be able to contact the MRA’s Community Liaison Officer, Sarah McDaid on 079392318280 or email sarah.mcdaid@miningremediation.gov.uk to coordinate access under a special managed arrangement. This process will allow us to carefully plan and control access so that it can be carried out safely.
To help keep everyone safe and make sure access runs smoothly, visits on other streets remain available between:
We understand how important personal items are, and we will do all we can to support access where possible through this managed approach. We kindly ask that everyone follows the agreed arrangements so that safety on site can be maintained.
To help residents with conversations with their insurance provider, Clackmannanshire Council can provide a supporting letter on request. Please contact the Council if this would be helpful.
Devonvale Hall is currently open daily from 9.30am to 5pm where Council officers are on hand to offer support and guidance as residents navigate next steps, including contacting their insurance companies.
The Council has made arrangements for CAB staff to be on site and have set up direct digital communications with those affected. We have also prepared some frequently asked questions and answers to share with residents.
We understand people will continue to have questions about homes, belongings, and next steps.
We will continue to share updates as soon as we have confirmed information from in the first instance, the Mining Remediation Authority, and other partner agencies when we get them.
Sources of practical and emotional support are available to refer to.
Meetings were held with residents on Thursday 21 May and Tuesday 2 June at which updates on work on site were shared and opportunities provided to ask questions.
The Mining Remediation Authority Community Liaison Officer, Sarah McDaid can be contacted on 07392 318280 or email sarah.mcdaid@miningremediation.gov.uk.
Please see our frequently asked questions page if you have any other questions.