Shropshire Star

Council secures £38,000 loan to rebuild Ludlow Town Walls

The next phase of a project to repair Ludlow's Town Walls will soon begin after the council secured a loan for more than £38,000.

Published
The wall collapsed in 2013

A stretch of the historic walls, behind St Laurence's Church, collapsed in February 2013.

Nearby residents were evacuated and although no one was injured, it led to calls for the wall to be repaired for safety reasons.

After a lengthy dispute over who should foot the bill, Ludlow Town Council agreed to take the lead in October 2015.

Mayor Tim Gill has now revealed the council has secured a Public Works Loan Board for £38,550.

"I am delighted to confirm that Ludlow Town Council has received a loan from the Public Works Loan Board to the progress the second stage of works," he said.

"We now have the details of the loan. It was secured at 2.1 per cent interest and the annual re-payments will be £1,989.

"Ludlow Town Council has budgeted for this expenditure and wish to reassure residents that the precept will not increase due to the loan re-payments."

With funding in place, the council has appointed the Morton Partnership as lead consultant and structural engineer.

An ecological survey and an historic environment assessment of the 72m length of Ludlow Town Wall has also been commissioned.

The historic environment assessment will gather significant archival documentation, geotechnical information, historic maps, and undertake an on-site inspection of the historic fabric of the ancient monument.

The initial work will inform the next stages, which will be more invasive site investigations including cores through the walls and some archaeological work.

Historic England will be consulted throughout the process.

It is anticipated that stage two works will be concluded by the end of the year.