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'Frustration' over ongoing street closure

Ben Prater,BBC Radio Wiltshireand
Jeremy Stern,BBC Radio Wiltshire
The road in Devizes is still shut a year after the fire

A partial road closure which has been in place for more than a year after a building fire has left locals frustrated.

Part of Northgate Street in Devizes, Wiltshire, has been shut since November 2024 when a fire made the Grade II-listed property unsafe.

Peter Bennett, owner of nearby Vinyl Realm record shop, said: "It's a blight on the landscape and access in and out the town has not been the best. We want to see it taken down so business can get moving as normal for everyone."

Deputy leader of Wiltshire Council Mel Jacob said: "We're doing everything possible to reopen the road as quickly as we can, but this is a complex process that involves factors beyond our control."

She added: "We hope to have more positive news on the road early in the new year."

Man in a green jacket over a light blue jumper inside a building. He is leaning on a counter looking at the camera
Peter Bennett, of Vinyl Realms, works opposite the fire-damaged building

The owner of the building, which used to contain a kebab house, has applied to demolish it, with Wiltshire Council promising to speed up the planning application.

However, adjoining properties have been deemed safe - which could make any demolition complicated.

Resident Ann Harding described the fire-damaged building as a "disgrace".

She added: "It upsets people when they walk by. Me and my close partner, we've seen rats come out the window."

Woman in purple jacket and brown jumper stood in front of road closure scaffolding
Devizes resident Ann Harding described the structure as a "disgrace"

Meanwhile Iain Wallis, a Devizes town councillor, told Radio Wiltshire: "I'm really frustrated with Wiltshire Council.

"The most recent update said nothing, a lot of people in the town saw it as an insult. It feels like in Devizes we are being left behind."

Mr Wallis, who used to run a shop in town, said survey work by the Devizes Indies group, which represents independent traders in the town, had found that footfall has been down "significantly."

Burned building with scaffolding and large wooden beams propping it up. The front of the building is largely bare after the fire, and there are orange safety barriers and cones at street level
The fire-damaged building used to house a popular kebab shop

Ms Jacob added that Wiltshire Council is working to get things back to normal.

"We know how frustrating this ongoing lane closure is on Northgate Street and we apologise for the inconvenience," she added.

"This is a complicated case because of the historic construction of the Grade II-listed building and those that adjoin it, the limited access, and the need for the property owners to work together to resolve structural issues."

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