Historic factory blaze's devastation revealed

The devastation caused by a huge factory fire in Wolverhampton has been revealed as a planning application is submitted to clear debris.

More than 100 firefighters were called to the Grade II listed former Moorfields Works in Upper Villiers Street and Sunbeam Street, on 14 January.

The roof at the former factory, which was once home to the historic Sunbeam Motor Car Company, caved in, with internal walls also damaged.

A planning application from Banga Properties said the collapsed roof needed to be cleared to enable access to assess the state of the building.

Most of the site was "severely fire damaged" including the main factory, with a steel frame extension at the rear of the site and former offices to the front also affected, applicant Nasa Raj Banga said.

A row of workshops in Sunbeam Street were largely unaffected because of a high brick wall that had acted as a barrier, the application added.

However, several walls elsewhere were said to have either fully or partially collapsed, and would need to be removed to inspect the rest of the building.

The application suggests the buildings were of "significant historical and architectural importance", but "extensive" fire debris was preventing investigations and surveys to assess its condition and inform its restoration or "selective demolition".

It requests permission to remove the debris from the listed building and temporarily "prop up" and secure it where necessary.

Any salvageable materials with historic significance—including bricks—would be preserved.

The fire caused huge plumes of smoke that could be seen from miles away, prompting a warning from the UK Health Security Agency for people to keep windows closed due to toxicity.

Nearby roads were shut for a week while emergency crews secured the building.

A statement included with the planning application, said: "All sections of the building require detailed condition and structural capacity surveys.

"These investigations are essential to determine appropriate strategies for restoration, preservation, or, where unavoidable, selective demolition.

"The proposed removal of fire debris is therefore a necessary and enabling step to facilitate safe access and informed decision-making regarding the future of this important listed structure."

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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