Demolition works appear to have FINALLY started on fire-damaged Grade II listed building in Northampton
Demolition works appear to have finally started on a fire-damaged Grade II listed building in Northampton, which has left a busy road closed for nearly seven months.
Work to clear the former Ex-Servicemen's Club & Institute in Sheep Street appears to have begun today (Friday, October 24).
A massive fire destroyed the building at around 6am on Sunday, March 30, sending thick black smoke across the town.
Since then, the structure has remained in a condemned state, with rubble spilling into the street, leaving Sheep Street, up to its junction with Church Lane, coned off by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC).
Earlier this week, this newspaper asked the council why demolition had not yet begun and why the street had been left as it is for seven months. WNC initially gave a ‘no update’ response. However, just a few days later demolition work has now started. The council has again been contacted for comment.
One resident who lives nearby said: “It was seven months of absolutely no activity, and WNC telling me they'd need to "raise a ticket" for clear up to start. Yet a few days after your report, suddenly the collapsed area is boarded up and heavy plant has moved in. The power of the press.”
The resident added that BT Openreach is tracking around 70 homes whose landline and internet services have been cut off by rubble from the building.
An Openreach spokesperson said: “We have engineers on standby to start repair work as soon as the fire-damaged building on Sheep Street is demolished. Our street cabinet, which contains the technology to connect homes and businesses to our network, is currently buried under the rubble and with the building at the point of collapse the area is too dangerous to work in. Even a re-route of our network, which we proposed shortly after the fire occurred, was not possible as digging and drilling in the vicinity could cause further instability to the building. From the outset we've been in regular contact with the local authority as they work to get the permissions and safety measures in place to begin demolition. Those without phone or broadband should have been provided with temporary connectivity by their service provider and should contact them if this is not in place.”
Northamptonshire Police confirmed the blaze is being treated as arson. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.