Going, going, gone: Burnt-out horror care home finally knocked down after years of misery for locals

A derelict East Kilbride care home torched by vandals has finally been demolished after years of misery for neighbours and former residents.

Yesterday the bulldozers brought down the fire-ravaged Acorn Park Care Home - seven weeks after it was set ablaze by youths.

Acorn Park was targeted by firebugs shortly after 5am on March 19 gutting the decaying building on Glen Road and causing fire and smoke damage to nearby homes and vehicles.

Fearing local kids would come to harm at the danger site, local residents in a nearby housing estate called for the demolition of the eyesore structure, claiming repeated calls to authorities over vandalism went unanswered.

They slammed a spate of fires and vandalism at the disused building which had lain empty for six years.

One disgruntled resident said neighbours had been reporting fires at the vandal-hit site for years and insisted the blaze was a "nightmare waiting to happen".

Looking on as the building was finally torn down yesterday, he told Lanarkshire Live he was "delighted to see the back of it at last".

And families of the neglected former nursing home residents will surely feel some comfort knowing the horror home has now been turned to rubble.

Local councillor Monique McAdams has been supporting local residents.

She said: "After the fire at the former nursing home residents continued to be bothered by the anti-social behaviour from the youths who were still gathering in and around the condemned building leading to more of a drain on our emergency services.

"Meanwhile the South Lanarkshire Building Standards team were in constant communication with the owner of the dilapidated and fire-damaged building to ensure it was made safe, whilst the timescales of the process to demolish it were agreed. It was confirmed to me that the works required to demolish the remaining structures and clear the site were instructed and started as early as Wednesday.

"This is phenomenal news and will be warmly welcomed by everyone that was affected by the fire as well as the aftermath damage to vehicles, homes, and woodland. I want to thank the police, fire brigade and council officers who have all worked very hard and in partnership to ensure that any potential risk to public safety was negated throughout this whole process, well done all.”

Acorn Park – which cared for people with physical disabilities and dementia – was shut down in 2019 after a care watchdog applied for a closure order to protect the safety of residents.

Following the fire in March, Lanarkshire Live obtained shocking images of patient's private records scattered around the burnt-out facility which in 2019 was branded "dangerous and incompetent" by a damning Care Inspectorate report which revealed vulnerable residents lived in "pain and distress".

Care home providers Bute House Limited, who are now dissolved, were served with an interim suspension order following a closure order application by the Care Inspectorate.

A council spokesman said: "The owners of the building were contacted by the council’s Building Standards service following the fire incident and confirmed they were referring the matter to their insurance company and that they would secure the site with fencing.

"Demolition work started on Wednesday, May 1. We are not aware of any plans for redevelopment."

Former owner of Bute House Limited Vijay Kumar declined to comment stating that the matter had been taken over by his insurance company.

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