Delays ‘holding up’ revamp of Shrewsbury blast area
Wednesday 25th May 2011, 3:00PM BST.
Developers of Shrewsbury’s explosion site today said plans to rejuvenate the area were “on the table and ready to go” but were being stalled by legal wrangles and insurance issues.
Carl Huntley, the managing director of Base Architecture who is in charge of the demolition and restoration of the site in Smithfield Road, said developers had faced stumbling blocks following the release of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) report into what caused the explosion on January 3 last year.
He said: “The HSE findings were inconclusive and this has not helped with insurance of the site. We are also waiting for the landlord and tenants to agree with the legal undertakings.
“Once they have agreed we can steam on with the development. Over the last couple of days there has been a lot of action regarding the site.
“We have already presented our scheme to the council, but it is a private document and we cannot reveal the details of the designs. It’s a frustrating situation.”
The HSE report in January concluded the explosion was caused by gas leaking from a fractured main. It leaked under the footpath in Bridge Street and seeped into buildings, said the report. It then exploded injuring 12 people, five seriously. The blast also destroyed a building and left the town partially closed.
But the year-long investigation by the HSE found nobody was to blame as there was no evidence of any breach of safety legislation.
Mr Huntley said the longer the project was stalled the more pressure developers were being put under to maintain the site.
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