A planning application has been submitted to demolish two buildings on Bangor High Street seriously damaged by a fire in December.

The fire devastated the Noodle One Restaurant and severely damaged the adjoining building, Morgan clothes shop. The buildings are in a significantly unsafe condition and risk of immanent collapse following the fire.

A dangerous structures notice has been served by Gwynedd Council and emergency works have been undertaken to provide temporary structural scaffolding to contain the buildings and prevent them from collapsing onto the High Street.

The section of road between Bangor Cathedral and Lon Pobty has remained closed to traffic since the fire, which has had a significant impact on trade for businesses in the area.

Demolition

The demolition would require a mobile crane located on the High Street to cater for the height of buildings, the scaffolding and depth of building as the unstable condition of the buildings prevents worker access on the ground floor.

Crane operations and basement condition surveys have been undertaken on the High Street and on ‘New Look’ where there is a deep basement along the front of the building and within the zone of the ‘crane pads‘ to ensure the road can support the weight of the crane.

The consultation also includes planning for temporary crossing points to allow the continued use of “Relics”, “Zero”, 174 (Newsagent) and 174A (flat), “New Look” and the flats above, during the demolition work.

Due to the prolonged road closure and impact on local businesses, a consultation with Gwynedd Council, Bangor City Council and North Wales Police has indicated that 07.00 to 24.00 hrs working under these circumstances would be acceptable due to the pressure to re-open the road.

It is envisaged that during the controlled demolition phase that 7 day working will be employed and should the ‘response of the building’ during the work warrant it, then 24 hour work would also be an option.

Photos: Drone photo of the fire damaged Noodle One and scaffolding supports the unsafe buildings on Bangor High Street