Action taken to safeguard Chester’s landmarks from fire

May 20 2008 by David Norbury, Chester Chronicle

FURTHER steps are proposed to safeguard Chester’s historic city centre from the devastating effects of fire.

They come six years after serious damage was caused to two listed buildings in Bridge Street with restoration costing £3m.

Fears were expressed that Bridge Street East and a large part of Eastgate Street South could have been totally destroyed if the fire had taken greater hold before being spotted.

With the preservation of the city’s heritage a vital part of Chester’s ambitions to become a “must see” European destination, councillors have had anxious eyes on the outcome of a similar fire in Edinburgh in 2003 which led to the total destruction of a world heritage site roughly the same size as Bridge Street and Eastgate Street.

York Minster, Windsor Castle and the Cutty Sark have also seen serious fires.

In Chester itself there were serious fires in the 19th century, one of which damaged the council chamber in the Town Hall and more recently the County Stand at Chester Racecourse was destroyed with the irreplaceable loss of racing memorabilia.

Following the Bridge Street fire, the city council set up a fire panel which carried out a wide ranging review.

Inspections of buildings in the city centre revealed “alarming” problems, all of which also existed in Edinburgh and in most conservation areas in the UK and Europe, according to a report by Cllr Brian Bailey (Con, Christleton).

There were inadequate fire barriers and escapes in the warren of buildings, many of which had no fire detection and alarm systems.

And there was no fire detection system for the city centre as a whole.

Cllr Bailey says there have since been significant technical advances and “considerable progress” with the installation of detection systems in council owned buildings in the city centre.

It is now proposed a fire board should be set up to make proposals for a comprehensive fire detection and protection scheme in the city centre.

It would also make recommendations on fire risk and fire safety in the city centre amongst other responsibilities.

The move was approved at the city council’s annual meeting when examination and review chairman Cllr Caroline Mosley (Con, Upton Westlea) thanked Cllr Bailey, now the city's lord mayor, for all his work on the issue.

“It was very much a team effort,” replied Cllr Bailey.