Town Hall to remain closed until March 27 following fire
Loughborough Town Hall will be closed until at least Monday, March 27 following a fire in the town centre last week.
However, Charnwood Borough Council says preparations are already underway to get the venue reopened as soon as possible.
The Town Hall has been closed since last Wednesday when a fire significantly damaged the neighbouring HSBC bank.
The Council has now been able to carry out inspections of the Grade II listed Town Hall which have confirmed several metres of the building’s roof were damaged by smoke and fire. There is also some water damage to the building.
Simon Gibson, Town Hall manager, said: “Once again we are grateful to the fire service for their prompt action which undoubtedly prevented further damage to the Town Hall. We are also grateful no-one was injured in the incident.
“Our thoughts have now moved to reopening the Town Hall, but inspections of the building have revealed that some work is needed before that can happen.
“We need to make the roof water-tight in the short term and then make more permanent repairs.
“We also need to clean some areas of the building which have received light smoke damage and we need to carry out inspections of the electrical system and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. Those inspections could reveal further work is required but we are taking this one step at a time.
“Reopening the Town Hall is a top priority for us and we are working hard to get the venue reopened as soon as possible.
“The Town Hall is a historic and integral part of the town centre and we would like to thank everyone for their interest and messages of support.
“There is no doubt that we will be protecting and preserving the building’s heritage as repairs are carried out and we look forward to welcoming customers back as soon as possible.”
The Town Hall has postponed shows over the weekend and the extended closure means Beyond the Barricade on Friday, March 24 and 80’s Live on Saturday, March 25 are now also being postponed.
Customers are being contacted with regards to next steps and we apologise for the inconvenience.
It is likely the Victoria Room will not be useable for a period of time as cleaning takes place.
The Council has formed an officer group to manage the reopening of the Town Hall and the situation is being reviewed on a regular basis.
The Council and Town Hall will continue to issue updates to customers and residents through their social media channels, websites and email alerts.
Loughborough Markets are back as normal, apart from some traders who will be standing in different places due to fencing outside the HSBC building.
ENDS