Gutted hall could be saved from demolition
ASTATELY home gutted by an inferno near Runcorn in June may be saved from demolition.
Flames engulfed Grade Two listed Daresbury Hall on Saturday, June 25, prompting a major response from Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service.
Historic England, which has been cam- paigning for years for the Georgian mansion to be brought back into use, has visited the mansion to assess the damage but said ‘there is no planned demolition’.
She said parties including the buildings owners and Halton Borough Council wanted to conserve as much of the structure as possible.
Daresbury Hall had suffered smaller in fires on June 19 and April 10.
Police busted a 600plant cannabis farm worth an estimated £750,000 at the site in April last year.
Halton Borough Council granted planning permission was granted earlier this year to convert the hall into seven apartments, while installing 10 dwellings in the coach house and the addition of 16 new-build homes and a three-storey arts house.
A Historic England spokeswoman said: “We are very saddened to hear about the fire which has destroyed much of the Grade Two Daresbury Hall in Cheshire, a fine mansion dating back to 1759. The building has been on our Heritage at Risk Register for a number of years, during which we have been working with the local council to help secure a viable use, including some housing to support the conversion of the historic building.
“We have visited the site to assess the damage and our structural engi- neers will advise on the stability of the building.
“We have also offered our ongoing support to Halton Borough Council.
“Halton Borough Council and owners Lancashire Mortgage company are unified in their approach to conserve and retain the maximum amount of undamaged fabric.
“There is no planned demolition to any amount of the hall and Historic England supports this line of action.” AN investigation has been launched after a fire at independent living accommodation in Widnes.
Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service (CFRS) were called to a flat at Naughton Fields on Liverpool Road at 11.44pm on Monday, July 4.
A fire service spokesman said that a ‘partial’ evacuation took place and that all people were accounted for.
A hose reel jet was used by crews to put the fire out, with a thermal imaging camera checking that the blaze was extinguished, and a large fan used to remove smoke from the home.
A CFRS spokesman said: “One person was assessed by paramedics.
“Police also attended and a fire investigation into the cause will take place.”
A North West Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed to the Weekly News that an ambulance and two rapid response vehicles were called to Naughton Fields at 11.43pm, but that nobody was taken to hospital.
Naughton Fields – which opened in November 2012 for the over 55s – is run by Halton Housing Trust (HHT).
Teresa Tierney, HHT’s director of housing services and wellbeing, said: “We can confirm that there was a small fire last night at Naughton Fields, and the police are currently investigating this.
“The fire, police and ambulance services attended the building last night and thankfully all customers were safe.”