A meeting will be held today to discuss Cockermouth’s Old Courthouse.
The privately-owned building partially collapsed into the River Cocker in October 2023 and has been the subject of legal wrangles since then.
Now Penrith & Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours has stepped in, saying enough is enough.
He has been speaking to the Environment Agency over the last few months, which has now said there is an increased risk of collapse – which in turn, increases the flood risk to the town.
Mr Campbell-Savours has organised a meeting today, Monday June 16, between the Environment Agency, Cumberland Council, and Historic England.
He said: “Enough is enough – Cockermouth can’t be at an increased risk of flooding due to the inaction by the building’s owner. The situation is intolerable and must stop now.
“The Old Courthouse was bought three years ago, it partially collapsed almost two years ago, and nothing has been done to secure the building.
“We cannot allow another winter to pass without urgent action being undertaken to secure the building, prevent further collapse into the river, and plans for the future of the site developed.”
A temporary pedestrian walkway was installed almost immediately after the building collapsed but Cocker Bridge did not reopen to traffic, with temporary traffic lights, until December 2023.
A five-metre scaffold screening was erected on the side of the bridge. The work was commissioned by Cumberland Council and was undertaken by its specialist highways engineers. That was removed in autumn 2024.
Cumberland Council issued a legal notice to the owner to carry out urgent work to the Grade II-listed building in January 2024. However, the owner failed to carry out any work and in May last year, the authority said it had informed him that it would take on the repairs.
The legal notice listed the minimum work needed on the building, as endorsed by Historic England.
These included:
- Temporary stabilisation work to be installed to first and second floor.
- Careful demolition of the first and second floors to the rear wing.
- Installation of weatherproofing to the remaining masonry walls.
Extensive investigations of the building have been undertaken by the council with support of agencies.
However any proposed work is impacted by:
- The site is land locked, access to allow any works to be undertaken is challenging.
- The building is Grade II listed and any further works is required to be minimal to protect the fabric of the historic building.
- The River Cocker, adjacent to the site, is part of the River Derwent and Tributaries Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- The impact on waste flows and the protection of flood defences needs careful consideration.
- Any work needs to minimise pollution from any debris.
- Requirements for archaeological investigation and subsequent detailed archaeological excavation if deemed necessary.
The Old Courthouse is one of the oldest buildings in the town and was bought by Samiul Ahmed, a London property consultant, at auction in July 2022 for £51,000.
