Action taken to prevent further collapse of Chester’s Walls

Apr 14 2008 Chester Chronicle

TEMPORARY bracing has been put in place to minimise the risk of further collapse to a section of Chester’s historic walls.

Earlier this month, Chester City Council closed a 30 metre section of the walls in the interests of public safety after part of the ancient monument collapsed.

Last week, temporary timber supports were installed and the council is currently working with English Heritage and independent surveyors to design a structure to shore up the wall so that further investigations can be done safely. Work is due to start later this week and is likely to take between two weeks to a month.

Once it is safe to access the site, a laser survey will also be carried out and structural surveyors will then develop proposals for longer-term support, which will allow for the reconstruction of the wall. The timescales of the total project will depend upon the extent of the damage and the complexity of the solutions.

The council is closely monitoring the situation through regular inspections and is arranging for a full survey of the whole walls circuit in line with its Conservation Management Plan. An exclusion zone been firmly secured around the scene of the collapse alongside the Grosvenor Hotel and at the rear of adjacent properties. This is being patrolled by community safety wardens and the police have also increased their presence in the area.

Chester City Council is due to meet with Visit Chester & Cheshire and City Centre Management to make sure that people are kept up to date and has held discussions with the Mall so that visitors can use the diversion route through the precinct for slightly longer hours.

The diversions can be seen at: http://www.chester.gov.uk/PDF/wallstructure2.pdf. Access to the Eastgate Clock will not be affected.