West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has given a ‘no update’ response on a fire-ravaged Grade II listed building in Northampton, which has left a busy street closed for seven months and counting.

A huge fire destroyed a Grade II listed building at the former Ex-Servicemen's Club & Institute in Sheep Street at 6am on Sunday, March 30.

Thick black smoke could be seen across the town, and the road was closed with a cordon set up around the scene.

Northamptonshire Police confirmed the blaze was being treated as arson. At the time of writing (Monday, October 20), no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing and the cordon remains in place.

The fire-ravaged Grade II listed building in Sheep Street (top) remains derelict seven months on, with the road still closed behind a safety cordon (bottom).

placeholder image — The fire-ravaged Grade II listed building in Sheep Street (top) remains derelict seven months on, with the road still closed behind a safety cordon (bottom).

The section from Lady’s Lane junction to Church Lane has been coned off to traffic, with the building left in a condemned state.

In July, WNC tweeted: “A section of the street has been closed to pedestrians and cyclists, to help keep people safe while a fire-hit building is demolished.”

However, demolition has not taken place, and residents say no further updates have been provided, despite WNC previously stating: “We will be keeping residents and local businesses updated.”

One resident told the Chronicle & Echo this week: “Nearly seven months on from the incident, the eyesore of the burnt out building forms a sorry backdrop to the blackened beams and tons of stone blocking the road.

Seven months after the blaze, the Grade II listed building on Sheep Street lies derelict

"The lack of proactive information provided by WNC to the affected community has been woeful, but sadly not surprising. Perhaps we've been forgotten. Not a priority. The lack of a date for clearance is, without any explanation, exasperating. [A] slothful attitude of WNC towards residents' wellbeing and the good appearance of the town.”

The resident added that BT Openreach are tracking around 70 residences whose land line phone and Internet services have been cut off by the fallen rubble.

The Chron asked WNC why the building had not been demolished over the summer.

The council responded, saying: “We don't currently have any news on this but will update as soon as we do.”

The council’s current listing on One Network shows roadworks related to the fire are still “in progress” and expected to last until November 30. WNC has not confirmed whether the road will reopen at that time.

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."