Demolition on cards for crumbling town hall
PICTURES taken inside a dilapidated former Runcorn town hall building earmarked for demolition have given a glimpse of the extent of the damage inside.
The photographs, taken inside the Waterloo Centre on Waterloo Road, show missing ceilings above collapsed flooring with debris strewn about in rooms marred by peeled and bubbling wallpaper.
Several sections of floor are clearly sunken, and in place appear dark as though with decay.
The pictures were published as part of a structural survey produced by Woodbank engineering consultants on behalf of Halton Borough Council, which has applied to demolish the building due its poor state of disrepair and risk of collapse.
The report said sections of flooring had already fallen through or were unsafe, including a staircase.
Steel safes on the first floor also posed a “significant risk” of falling through, and kitchen access was blocked due to the “dangerous” state of the adjoining rooms.
The Waterloo Centre was built in the 19th century.
An application to build 36 flats for people with early onset dementia and other needs on the site was filed by Signature housing in autumn 2020.
The Grade-II listed Carnegie Library next door would undergo remedial works as part of the project.
According to Halton Council’s planning portal, no decision has yet been made over Signature’s proposal.
As previously reported by InYourArea, a cover letter accompanying the council’s demolition application said: “The condition of the Waterloo building has significantly declined to such a point that Building Control at HBC have expressed concerns regarding its safety.
“This has resulted in a partial road closure being put in place in case the building falls down.
“The applicants would like to safely dismantle the Waterloo building (to) ensure no risk to life and to also ensure no damage is made to the adjacent listed building the Egerton library.
“As the Waterloo building and the Egerton library and presently the listed building consent is submitted (to) confirm how these will be separated and made good in the short and medium term.
“The aspiration for the site as a whole is that the land surrounding the library will be redeveloped and at this point the library will be made good into its final state and made beneficial use of.
“The building requires immediate intervention and we are happy to work pro-actively with the local authority to find the safest and most efficient way to dismantle the building and ensure the safety and longevity of the adjacent listed building.”