Builders working on Cambray Place in Parmoor had to down tools after a neighboring property showed signs of imminent structural collapse
Renovation work on a building in Cheltenham town center has restarted after it was put on hold for almost a year due to the risk of structural collapse at a neighboring property.
Cheltenham Civic Society contractor Leckhampton Builders has returned to its Parmoor headquarters at 26 Cambray Place.
The contractor was working from early autumn 2024 to build the Grade II listed building into flats and the Society’s new headquarters when 27 Cambray Place began to show signs of imminent structural collapse.
No 27’s structural failure was caused by an unrelated issue. At one point, its own scaffolding bent down to rest against Parmoor, according to the Civic Society.
They said a team from Leckhampton Builders had to immediately dismantle the tools and no one had been allowed to touch Parmoor for more than 11 months while its neighbor was safe.
At that time, important repair work was underway on Parmoor’s roof and front railing wall.
Although the builders managed to protect their work with tarpaulins, they could not withstand the onslaught of named storms and torrential rains over the next year.
When they finally arrived back at Parmoor in October this year, the club’s builders found that the rain had washed down the front wall from the inside down to the cellar – soaking the wall and timbers and ruining a perfectly good cellar tank.
This in turn caused the existing dry rot – originally caused by a hidden leak from a well behind the parapet – to spread dramatically across and down the entire wall.
The dry rot had previously been in remission and was ready for a chemical treatment to kill it.
Andrew Booton, chairman of the civil society, said: “The whole episode has set us back over a year as our builders are now working hard to get the building back up and running in autumn 2024.
The setback has had a huge impact on the Society’s plans, as it has seriously delayed the opening of the Society’s headquarters and deprived the Society of at least one year’s income from the four apartments.
Having arrived back, Leckhampton Builders have sealed Parmoor’s roof and completed the parapet, so the building is now dry again.
They have removed the moisture affected areas and cut out all the trees ready for chemical treatment throughout the area. In addition, they have removed the central steel staircase of the building.
“Maybe by Christmas we’re hoping to get back to where we were. So the work to create the new flats and club headquarters can really start in the new year,” added Andrew Booton.
“When we finally complete the project – now likely to be in 2027 – we expect Parmoor to make a significant improvement to Cambray Place and set a great example for the regeneration of other Regency buildings.
“Its 99-seat space also provides us with a great new home and a very attractive downtown location for other volunteers or other organizations for their meetings and events.”