Fire at Strada Restaurant, Cupola House, Bury St Edmunds
Photos of Cupola House
Thursday 12 July 2012
The recovery effort is firmly focussed on opening up the Traverse for pedestrians to walk from one end to the other. Regular meetings are being held with retailers whose livelihoods have been seriously affected by the aftermath of the Cupola House fire, and restoring footfall is an urgent priority.
Visitors to the town are being asked to support these independent traders now and in the coming months.
Work on site is going well using the crane and cage and a cherry picker to remove unstable materials from the top down, but debris still needs to be moved on the first and second floors in the front left hand corner of Cupola House.
On Saturday, (market day), it is planned to open a temporary pedestrian-only walkway between Cornhill and South Traverse while work on site pauses to allow the Fire Investigation Team access to the cellars to complete their investigations. The crane will be folded for the day and then work will start again on Sunday and Monday.
The scaffolding that was protecting the Halifax / Harriet’s side of the Traverse has been removed and it is hoped that the crane can leave early next week. If all goes to plan, the welfare cabin will be moved to South Traverse and the Heras fencing to the north will be moved back to the Laura Ashley / Jessops line, giving some more access back mid-week.
Once the cellars have been cleared during the week, timber hoarding will be put in place at the foot of two of the three sides of the façade scaffolding, which will further reduce the footprint of the site and give more access for pedestrians.
