A much-loved Abu Dhabi souq is to be demolished due to serious structural defects threatening the safety of shoppers and workers, municipality chiefs have confirmed.

Abu Dhabi Municipality said inspectors visited Zaab souq - a small strip mall in Khalidiyah dating to the late 70s or early 80s - in June as part of regular assessments made by the local authority of buildings in the city.

They found some of the shops abandoned, much of the building in severe disrepair and ordered the building to be evacuated.

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The news follows The National’s story about the building - formally known as the Commercial Market – that closed two months ago.

Zaab souq is redolent of early Abu Dhabi architecture with its concrete arcade and use of local motifs such as arches and crenellations. But photographs of the building taken by municipality inspectors and shared with The National showed crumbling walls, holes in the ceiling and splintering brickwork.

“The building is old, dilapidated and represents a negative and distorted appearance of the neighbourhood. It does not meet the requirements of security, safety and public health and contains obvious structural defects,” the municipality said.

“Accordingly measures were taken towards the evacuation and demolition of the structure to secure the safety of shoppers and employees.”

Its closure prompted an outpouring of nostalgia on social media from residents past and present. In the days before Abu Dhabi’s theme parks, children played under the concrete arches and neighbours met in one of the souq’s cafes.

Fahad Al Zaabi grew up there and remembers it as the only place to meet friends. “We had no mall or shopping centre so we went there,” said Mr Al Zaabi, 33, who still lives in the neighbourhood. “It is part of my childhood but they needed to change it. It was very old and they need modern buildings.”

After it was revealed the souq was to be torn down, many reflected on their own memories of the building.

“Abu Dhabi didn’t have the massive malls then,” said Tim Pick, 46, who lived in an apartment beside the souq from 1997 to 2000.

“You had to engage with local shops. These days it is high end.”

“I’m quite nostalgic for those days,” said Mr Pick, a British lawyer.

“That strip mall is a classic example of the 1980s expansion – it is a bit old and shabby and tired but it is a shame they are being lost. It is inevitable but it is sad.”

“I was born and raised in Abu Dhabi and my memories of the strip start from my childhood in the late 90s,” said Yasmin Hamad, 25, an urban designer originally from Sudan. “But my most vivid memories revolve around picking or dropping off laundry at New Al Zaab Laundry. They would recognise and chat with everyone who dropped by,” said Ms Hamad.At least 25 old unoccupied buildings have been demolished so far this year, while the municipality is monitoring a further 47.

“Abandoned buildings distort public appearance, have negative social and environmental effects and are a fertile source for the spread of insects, rodents and waste. [They] may also be a risk for children who may choose to play in their surroundings,” the municipality said.

“It is necessary to take measures that protect the population and preserve the civilised appearance of the city from buildings which are not renewable.”

The impending demolition, meanwhile, is part of wider plans by the municipality to remove older buildings that are dotted across the city. Many were built of poor materials that do not meet modern standards, while others have not been maintained adequately.