A Cockermouth town centre bridge, closed after a prominent building collapsed at the weekend, is set to reopen to pedestrians soon.
Workers from Cumberland Council have been spotted creating a safe pedestrian access over Cocker Bridge, next to the Old Courthouse, which partially collapsed into the River Cocker on Sunday.
Due to the unstable nature of the building, Cumberland Council closed the bridge to traffic and pedestrians.
Cumberland Council said the work will be completed as quickly as possible.
It added it was continuing to assess the Grade II listed building site, with the permission of the owner of the building and a 3D building survey will be undertaken today, Thursday October 12 to assess the building and the bridge.
Work already undertaken include the fencing off the river embankment in the potential drop zone and screening has been installed on the bridge.
Traffic lights are also in place within the town to ease congestion.
The authority added: “Discussions are ongoing with key partners including the owner of the building. Permission has been granted by the owner to access the building to undertake survey work.”
A Cumberland Council spokesman said: “Following the partial collapse of the building on Sunday, we have met with the building owner to discuss the various options for future action. Talks have started with the owner’s legal team and also Historic England, in respect to any action to be taken to obviate the danger.
“This is a complex issue and public safety is our main priority.”
Cockermouth Town has posted: “Fantastic news that a covered pedestrian walkway is being constructed across the bridge and will be opened very soon, thank you Cumberland Council for your prompt action. Cockermouth is open for business.”
Traffic will still be diverted. Traffic lights have been installed to help ease congestion and all other roadworks in town have been suspended.
The future of the Grade II listed building is not known at this stage, but here’s everything you need to know so far.
What happened to the Old Courthouse?
Cumberland Council, with permission of the owner, is assessing and surveying the site.
Who owns the Old Courthouse?
It was bought by a London businessman at auction for £51,000. He pledged to spend £100,000 on work on the building. Contractors were working inside for a time, but it is not known what work they did or if it was completed.
Are the shops still open?
William Moore, chairman of Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade, said: “We are so sad to see the collapse of Cockermouth’s historic former court house.
“I want to emphasise the message we have said so often in Cockermouth – this town is still open for business. Please continue to visit Market Place which is still easily accessible via the footbridges next to the brewery and at the end of South Street.
“There’s good parking at that end of town too, so you can easily get to the shops, galleries, pubs and restaurants, as well as Kirkgate Arts, and the doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries.
What about the river?
The river embankment has been fenced off in the potential drop zone.
There were no reports of any injuries following the building collapse and although some debris has landed into the river, the river is still flowing.
The Environment Agency has confirmed that although the collapse is near to their flood walls, the walls remain intact and the town’s flood risk has not increased.
What will happen next?
Cumberland Council, working with the private owner and other agencies, will make the building safe and aim to reopen the road.
What about the future of the Old Courthouse?
ssues first arose with the building in 2021, when the River Cocker eroded a stone section underneath it.
Built in 1838, the Old Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in Cockermouth.
Leading architect Darren Ward told Cumbria Crack he believed it was beyond saving.
He said: “It is a big loss for the town and obviously we would like to see it retained and made safe for another 200 years, but I feel that is a dream too big.
“We mustn’t be unrealistic and plan on hope because we will end up with a building that remains a pile of rubble for decades.
“Economically I also cannot see any solution to it being replaced. I think it’s very unlikely the courthouse will ever return in any form it used to be.”
What does Cockermouth and District Civic Trust say?
In a post on Facebook, Cockermouth and District Civic Trust said: “So the rear of the building has now collapsed, probably inevitable given the extent of the undermining of the foundations and the extent of the cracking in the walls.
“It was always going to be extremely difficult to restore the whole building and from advice that we received it would probably have cost in excess of £1 million with no guarantee of success. So what next?
“The damage is not limited to what you can see. The collapse has caused more damage to the rest of the building, including the front section. So a lot rests on the results of the structural surveys and the implications of any further collapse.
“Given that the building is Grade II listed and an iconic building for the town, the civic trust would clearly like to see as much of the building conserved as reasonably practicable.
“The best case scenario will be the retention of the front section of the building as per the photograph, potentially with a garden patio behind. The worst case scenario is full demolition of the existing building with a middle case being a retention of just the facade facing the street.
“If the building is to be conserved in part, it will need the Cumberland Council to work in partnership with the owner, seeking grant funding from the likes of the Heritage Lottery fund and perhaps seeking an external partner such as the Culture Trust.”
