Former Ulster Unionist headquarters collapseshead

The three storey building at Kennedy Place in the Fountain estate, which has been in a dilapidated state for many years was also once a Jewish synagogue.

The UUP sold it off some years ago,

The upper floors of the building collapsed without warning at approximately 12.45pm this afternoon and completely buried a car parked immediately outside it.

The heavy masonry from the Victorian structure was strewn almost the entire width of Kennedy Place stopping just short of a perimeter wall of a nearby nursery facility. One passing witness was the areas post man who saw the building crumble into the street and who was also able to verify that no one was in the car parked below the building. However, other witnesses in the area said that the driver of the car had exited the vehicle just minutes before the building tumbled down.

As the incident unfolded it appeared that remaining portions of the lower section of the building were beginning to bulge outwards prompting fears of a further collapse.

SDLP Councillor John Boyle, who works close by said: “This really could have been a disaster, especially because of the proximity of the Foyle Day Care Centre. My information is that this building has been derelict for around twenty years. I am now calling for an audit of all the derelict property in this city because it is only by the grace of God today that we have avoided a tragedy.”

The PSNI moved quickly to seal the area off and advised residents of Kennedy Place that it would be best for them to leave their homes. Three Fire and Rescue Service (FSR) appliances attended the area with FSR members searching through the rubble covering the vehicle to ensure no one was inside. Police have also advised that the area at Kennedy Place, with access from the Hawkin Street side is likely to remain closed to traffic and pedestrians for sometime.

Youth Worker at the nearby Cathedral Youth Club, Graham Warke heard the building collapse and initially thought the sound was of construction workers working nearby before discovering that the building had fallen down. Mr Warke said that something now needed “to be done with derelict buildings in working class areas” before a tragedy was caused.

Other residents in the area expressed concern that recent spates of high wind and rain had caused the demise of the building and that other buildings in a similar condition in the old Fountain district may suffer the same fate if action is not taking to secure them properly soon.