Council gives further update on wall collapse at St Oswald’s, Malpas

Following the collapse of a section of wall at St Oswald’s Church, Malpas (after heavy storms) Cheshire West and Chester Council commissioned a structural engineer to inspect the boundary walls and provide advice on the repair work needed.

On the advice of the engineer two main stages of work will be undertaken – stage one is temporary works to make the wall safe and stage two is the permanent repair of the wall.

There is currently a road closure on Church Street between Old Hall Street and Church Walk with a signed diversion route in place.

Contractors have now been appointed and the temporary works are due to start on site on Monday 19 July. It is anticipated that the work will take approximately six weeks to complete.  The aim is for the temporary repair to be completed and the traffic management be in place in time for the schools re-opening following the summer holidays.

The Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Councillor Karen Shore said: “We really appreciate the ongoing support and patience of the local community, and understand how the situation at St Oswald’s is inconvenient for both Malpas residents and visitors.  The start of this work is good news, we will continue to keep residents informed and do all we can to ensure these works progress as quickly as possible.”

Following the completion of these temporary works it will be possible for temporary traffic signals to be installed and for Church Street to re-open.  There will be changes made to the parking restrictions in the area to accommodate the traffic management.  A program for the permanent repairs is now being prepared, which will involve some road closures in the future.