Church Street listed building to be demolished due to fire damage

The scene at Church Street on 12 November. Credit: Blog Preston

A grade-II listed building in Church Street is to be demolished due to fire damage.

Preston City Council said upper floors of 131A Church Street are to be brought down.

It follows demolition of 131 Church Street which was deemed to be unsafe after being ravaged by fire on Tuesday 12 November evening.

After a structural inspection the floors of the building above the Aliz takeaway are to taken down and will be demolished by the end of Thursday (21 November). The takeaway itself will remain.

Road closures in Church Street are to remain in place but the cordon has been reduced to allow access to Sandos and 135A Church Street.

The left turn from Church Row into Church Street has been re-opened as of Wednesday (20 November) morning. The city council says it is working to lift the remaining road closures – which run from the left turn from Lancaster Road and Guild Row as quickly as possible.

The building above the Aliz takeaway is to be demolished. The building on the left has already been demolished. Pic: Google

A city council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, the adjoining Grade II listed building, 131a Church Street, has been badly damaged by the fire and parts of it are at risk of collapse. Whilst the Council is committed to its legal duty to preserve heritage assets, due to the damage from the fire and necessary demolition of an adjoining building providing structural support, the listed building is now unrestrained, and demolition is necessary to prevent collapse.”

Cabinet member for planning and regulation, councillor Amber Afzal, said: “We are extremely relieved that there were no casualties following the incident, especially now that we have been able to clearly assess the full extent of the damage to several properties in the vicinity. We thank the emergency services and other agencies involved so far for their swift actions and dedication to ensuring public safety.”

The former Dog Inn pub and the Sandos takeaway have been inspected and declared as structurally sound.

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