Carlisle Central Plaza Hotel: Demolition work almost complete

Work to demolish a crumbling hotel in the centre of Carlisle is expected to be completed ahead of schedule, council bosses have said.

Part of the city centre has been closed for months over fears the former Grade II-listed Central Plaza would collapse.

But Carlisle City Council has now told some firms they can return to their premises to stock up for Christmas.

The £1.3m demolition project began in November and was set to take about four months to complete.

Bulldozers were brought in after it emerged much of the hotel's internal structure had fallen away.

It closed in 2004, with the site being held by the Crown Estate, although the council is still responsible for it.

A spokesman for the authority said: "Demolition has progressed quicker than programmed and plans are now in place to make the site safe to allow access for adjacent businesses.

"Tesco has been notified that they are able to allow staff access to their store to stock up in readiness of reopening.

"Protective hoardings will be removed from adjacent properties.

"Once this has been completed we will be in a position to advise Cumbria County Council, the local highways authority. The county council will then be able to advise on pedestrian access.

"The site continues to be secure and 24-hour security is in place with CCTV monitoring in place to prevent unauthorised access.

"We continue to support businesses and have put in place a hardship fund for those directly affected."