Work is set to start soon with the aim of reopening Market Street in Kirkby Lonsdale in time for the Easter holidays.
Over 100 residential properties and 84 business properties in the town centre were directly impacted by a devastating fire in the early hours of Sunday December 8, with one fatality and one person injured.
In the immediate aftermath, the council addressed the immediate dangers posed by the damaged structures. Urgent measures, including a combination of demolition and structural scaffolding, were implemented to ensure public safety, particularly concerning the compromised front of the Old Market Hall. These critical stabilisation efforts were completed in two weeks, allowing residents to return to their homes and businesses to begin reopening before Christmas.
The temporary measures required to secure the area have resulted in Market Street being too narrow to safely accommodate both pedestrians and vehicles. As a precaution, the road was temporarily closed.
Starting on Monday (17 March) some site clearance will be carried out by contractors engaged by insurers to remove internal fittings to halt further deterioration on site of what remains of the shops within the Old Market Hall. This will include a narrowing of the footway and pedestrian access along Market Street temporarily to safely undertake the works, which are due to last for five days.
Further site clearance works on the former Taylor’s building, including rubble removal, is scheduled to start on 24 March and last five days. This work will support the future activity needed on site and create a site compound space, lessening the number of road closures needed in the future once efforts towards rebuilding works start. Scaffolders will also return to site the same week to reduce the existing width of the current scaffolding to enable the road to be reopened to traffic, as well as extending the hoarding along Market Street just past the old Save the Children premises. Additional concrete blocks will also be brought in during that week to counterbalance the structural requirements of the scaffolding redesign and reduction in width.
Starting on 31 March, work will begin to improve the pedestrian footway at St Mary’s Court to allow safe passage of pedestrians once Market Street reopens to vehicles. This work is likely to take no more than five days and will include the closure of Market Street to pedestrians for approximately three days, which may impact access to Market Street.
Once Market Street reopens to vehicles, there will be weight restriction in place over 7.5 tonnes, with the diversion for HGVs to remain in place between Hop House Lane to the A65.
Councillor Peter Thornton, Cabinet Member for Highways and ICT, said: "This is a major milestone for the community, reconnecting one side of the town to the other, and helping to support the recovery of the town. We recognise the devastating impact of the fire on those directly affected and the emotional impact on everybody in the community. We are committed to doing whatever we can to support the community through this in the months and years ahead – and supporting the town's economic recovery.
"Reopening the road in time for the Easter holidays is a major step in this recovery. There is a bit of work to do to get to that stage and I am sure the community will support that. Our continued thanks go out to the community and business recovery partnership in their role and support in reaching closer to this milestone. We ask that pedestrians in that area take extra care while contractors are on site and always be vigilant. Safety is our top priority, and these works are all essential to safely reopen the road.
"Meanwhile, the town is very much open for business, and I know the community would appreciate shoppers and visitors coming to experience the town with its high-quality independent shopping, as well as excellent restaurants, cafés and bars and superb accommodation.