Developers: fire a 'major blow' to plans for Baker's Quay

Developers hoping to build flats and a hotel at Baker's Quay in Gloucester say this weekend's fire is a major blow. Rokeby Developments say the wooden beams and cast iron girders of Provender Mill were an important part of its charm but that the weekend's fire makes the restoration job much more difficult.

Structural engineers are now looking at the Victorian structure to see what can be saved. The developers say they are going to try to speed up their planning application so they can buy the site and try to save it. The plan is to build 154 flats, a hotel and shops and restaurants.