By Conor Sharkey
THE fate of the Sion Mills stable block could be decided as early as tomorrow (Friday), following this week's collapse which devastated the historic building.
Much of the Listed Building tumbled inward on Monday, prompting concerns that the rest of the block could be about to follow suit.
Designed in 1884, the stables were, for decades, one of the village's main focal points. They have however fallen into severe disrepair after being sold off the by Herdman family just over four decades ago. Today they are owned by John Withy, occupier of Zion House.
Pressure has been growing on Mr Withy in recent years to either make good the buildings or surrender them for restoration.
His failure to act provoked the government's pursual of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO), with responsibility eventually being transferred to preservation trust Hearth. Hearth have been waiting in the wings for some time, eager to begin the restoration process.
Since Arlene Foster made the CPO announcement however, little or no progress appears to have been made, much to the frustration of local preservation groups and residents alike.
That lack of progress manifested itself quite dramatically on Monday afternoon when a major portion of the building, including the iconic village clock tower crumbled.
Blame for allowing the building to deteriorate to the point of collapse has been directed at the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS), with Hearth yesterday calling on Environment Minister Sammy Wilson to explain why the stables had been allowed to dilapidate.
Despite the criticism however, the EHS's Director of Built Heritage Michael Coulter said they had worked tirelessly to secure the stable block.
"I can see why anyone looking from outside would say that nothing has been happening, but we have been encouraging the owner John Withy to repair these buildings. We were working with Strabane District Council on that and since we became worried we weren't going to see an outcome, the first ever Compulsory Acquisition Order has been progressing.
"But people need to be aware that it is the first order of its kind, so it is new territory for us and it has taken a frustratingly long time to get things moving," he explained.
With regards to the immediate future of the buildings, Mr Coulter said he hoped they could still be restored, despite recent developments.
"We had an engineer down there on Tuesday and I have spoken to Hearth who are going to consider the building's future.
"I hope they see it as worth saving but looking at the pictures, I note that the clock tower is on the ground. Saying that, it's joinery appears to still be intact, so I don't think restoration is out of the question. We should know the outcome of Hearth's findings by Friday," Mr Coulter said.
If Hearth do decide to continue with their restoration plans, workers could be one site within three months.
"If we get the go ahead from Hearth, we are very far down the line with regard to compulsory acquisition and hopefully we will have the thumbs up from our department by the end of the summer.
"We have been chipping away at this project for a long time and we are all of a similar mind that these buildings are very important.
"It is most unfortunate that this collapse has happened, but the bottom line is that Mr Withy is the owner of these buildings. The Environment and Heritage Service has been targeted for criticism, but we have offered support, advice and grant aid on several occasions," Mr Coulter pointed out.
Confirming plans to review their position, Hearth Director Marcus Patton said: "We have constantly stressed to the appropriate bodies the need to take urgent action on this building, which has been in a perilous state for some considerable time. We are reviewing our position in the light of recent developments, as valuable fabric has now been lost from this important building."
