Clune Park Resource Centre damaged in school blaze

Robert Moran today slammed those responsible for the recent blaze in the derelict building, which damaged Clune Park Resource Centre next door.

Groups using the lifeline facility have now had to move out temporarily until it is safe to reopen.

Firefighters had to work through the night when the huge blaze broke out on the evening of August 27.

Councillor Moran says it is not the only example of anti-social behaviour on the eyesore estate.

He says he is furious with yobs who are making life a misery for those left behind in the rundown tenements.

Councillor Moran said: "They have managed to save the Resource Centre but it was damaged in the fire.

"This causes upheaval for all the groups who meet there and the people who use it.

"It is a vital service for those in the area.

"We are hoping we can get it back open as quickly as possible."

He added: "We are getting calls about fires up there every other night, and anti-social behaviour. The people doing this are making life a misery for the people who live in nearby Wilson Street and other places.

"The levels of fire-raising and anti-social behaviour are a real concern."

Clune Park Resource Centre will move permanently to the old King George building in Port Glasgow town centre when the restoration project there is finally completed.

The switch is part of the masterplan to knock down the Clune Park estate.

The council has been trying unsuccessfully to flatten it for over a decade.

The local authority has been locked in legal battles with private landlords for years in a bid to demolish the housing scheme.

Cllr Moran said: "We are hoping there is finally an end in sight."

The B-listed former Clune Park Primary has been fenced off for safety reasons following the recent fire.

The targeted primary school had lain empty since it closed in 2008, when pupils joined Slaemuir and Highholm primaries to form Newark Primary in a new purpose-built school.