Road closure continues
Action is being taken to secure the fire-damaged Angel Inn in Midhurst but North Street is set to be closed for a further seven weeks.
This week a contractor has begun work to make the fire-damaged buildings safe following the huge fire in March.
The continued closure of North Street has had a massive impact on the town and traders have said their businesses have been decimated.
According to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) the work will take seven weeks to complete.
The working group which is overseeing the repairs said it was the ‘best’ and the ‘fastest option’.
A statement read: “On 11 May, the South Downs National Park Authority appointed a contractor to ensure the fire-damaged listed buildings are safely and legally secured. This will then allow the road to be reopened in both directions by West Sussex County Council.
"The South Downs National Park Authority, working with West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council, continues to actively liaise with the owners of the buildings, local businesses and other agencies involved to ensure that the necessary work begins as soon as possible.”
The contractor was due to start work on Monday this week with the work is expected to take seven weeks.
"This is not only the best option for the listed buildings but is also the fastest option to enable the road to be safely opened for vehicles in both directions,” the statement said.
Chichester MP Gillian Keegan has reached out to Midhurst businesses to make a case for ‘emergency funding.’
The MP said she is hoping to work with Midhurst businesses to help her make a case for emergency funding to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Ahead of a meeting with the department, she has asked businesses on North Street to share the facts and figures setting out the impacts the fire, and subsequent closure of North Street, have had on them over the last two months.