Collapsed building's owner reiterates flats plan
BBCThe owner of a Grade II listed building in danger of further collapsing into a river says he still wants to transform it into flats.
Part of the Old Courthouse in the centre of Cockermouth, Cumbria, fell into the River Cocker in October 2023 and the property has yet to be repaired.
Businessman Samiul Ahmed claims he cannot move forward with his refurbishment plans because of legal notices served by the local authority.
However, Cumberland Council says it deems the building to be dangerous and that it is Mr Ahmed who bears responsibility for the works needed.
The Old Courthouse is about 190 years old and had not been in use since 2021.
Mr Ahmed, of East London, bought it at auction in 2022 for £51,000.
Its collapse meant a nearby bridge had to be closed to traffic over safety concerns, leading to weeks of disruption through the town.
Mr Ahmed told BBC Look North his intention to turn it into flats was being held up by an Urgent Works Notice requiring a minimum level of repairs and a Prohibition Notice preventing occupation of the building.
The latter does not prevent access to the building to undertake necessary repairs as long as risk assessments have been conducted.
Mr Ahmed said: "It's still the same vision. We would still love to develop and bring the building back to use, but we need those council to remove those notices and work with us in order to get something done for the community."
Last month, he denied accusations made in Parliament by local MP Markus Campbell-Savours that he had removed support pillars from the building before it collapsed.
Mr Ahmed also said Campbell-Savours' claim that he wanted taxpayers to cover a repair bill of between £1m and £4m was not accurate.
Karl Melville, assistant director of highways and transport at the local authority, stressed the building is privately owned.
He said: "It's not the council's responsibility to take ownership of derelict or dangerous buildings and to spend public money reinstating them.
"The council's been working very closely with the owner over the last 18 months to try and resolve the issues.
"We deem that building dangerous. So unless the owner comes forward with his plans so we can work through that, it's impossible for us to lift those restrictions."
The body representing traders in the area has expressed frustration over the lack of progress with Andrew Marshall, of the Cockermouth & District Chamber of Trade, describing the property as "an eyesore over the bridge".
Additional concern surrounds the potential for flooding if further sections fall into the river.
Kerry Harmer, flood operations manager at the Environment Agency, said a modelling study indicated any significant collapse of the building could obstruct the river channel downstream of Cocker Bridge and "raise upstream water levels during high flows, increasing flood risk to the town centre".