Plans to demolish fire-hit Crewe printworks withdrawn
Plans to demolish the old fire-hit Crewe printworks have been withdrawn, less than two weeks after the serious incident.
On Thursday 22 August, Cheshire East Council received a letter to confirm demolition plans for the former Communisis, Frances Street, had been withdrawn.
In June, applicant, Mr Tim Griffiths, submitted plans to bulldoze the old printworks, which had been vacant since January this year.
It was proposed Jim Wise Demolition would pull down the former factory, consisting of up and over warehouses and a two storey office to the front.
Then, at 4:15pm on Friday 9 August, a huge fire ripped through the derelict building, with hundreds of local residents evacuated.
Thankfully no people were injured in the incident. Several properties sustained damage, with some still affected.
A cat that had gone missing during the blaze was recently reunited with its owner after receiving treatment for its burnt paws. Vet bills were covered by RSPCA Stapeley Grange.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service worked with a demolition firm to help expose remaining hotspots and extinguish them. The rest is being demolished now for safety reasons.
Cheshire East Council issued a mild warning to local residents, saying there was the "possibility" of asbestos being disturbed in the incident.
Following an investigation into the incident, three men have been charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
James Evans, 19, from Welles Street in Sandbach, Justin Evans, 18, from Catherine Street, Crewe, and Peter Lord, 19, of no fixed address, were remanded into custody to appear at Crewe Magistrates on Friday 16 August.
Evans from Crewe, was also charged with committing an act with intent to pervert the course of justice.
The trio are now set to appear at Chester Crown Court on Friday 13 September.
Communisis, which employed just over 1,000 people in the UK and around 200 overseas, fell into administration last December.
The disused building has been occupied by a number of famous businesses for over a century, including The Crewe Stationery Company and McCorquodale Printers Crewe.
It was also once the headquarters of The Daily Express northern edition.
In June, Cheshire Police discovered the site been converted into a sophisticated, large-scale cannabis farm.
When discovered by officers, the building contained well over 2,000 cannabis plants at various stages of growth, which were all destroyed.
The Communisis demolition works were originally scheduled to commence on Friday 22 July, with a target completion date of Saturday 31 August.
READ MORE: Building and shrubbery damaged in Crewe arson attack incident.
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