Road to be closed after fire devastated historic buildings

A road through the centre of Halesworth in Suffolk will be closed for 3 days next month as part of ongoing repairs to two Grade II listed buildings which were seriously damaged in a fire last June.

The fire, which started within the first floor flat of No 29 Market Place and spread to the adjoining Mansion House, devastated a number of businesses and caused significant inconvenience to the town centre and surrounding area.

Since the fire, demolition contractors have been working to strip parts of the historic building fabric that cannot be preserved, under the watch of local conservation officers and structural engineers.

The precarious and historic nature of the buildings has presented challenges, not least the town centre location of the site which has restricted access.

The next stage of the project requires a temporary scaffold roof structure to be erected over Mansion House, which has retained some historic and listed features. .

Subject to Listed Building consent, a new permanent roof is to be reinstated to return the building to a watertight condition. A further Listed Building application will be prepared for the internal reinstatement works and finishes.

The road closure is scheduled for a period of 3 days from (and including) Sunday 17 February to Tuesday 19 February.