Developers have explained why controversial plans to knock down an historic site where parts of the Titanic were made have stalled. It is nearly a year since the outline plans for part of Lansdown Industrial Estate were given the green light but nothing has happened yet.
In January 2024, Cheltenham Borough Council approved Cheshire West and Chester Council’s plans to build 215 homes and an arts studio on the northern part of the industrial estate. It paved the way for buildings that made up the former H. H. Martyn & Co factory to be torn down.
That angered heritage enthusiasts, keen to preserve Cheltenham’s industrial past. Martyn’s made fluted columns for the ill-fated ship which sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, killing about 1,500 people.
The columns were hollow and wrapped around steel uprights on the vessel, which was on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York before disaster struck.
Now the owner of the development site, which is just across the road from Cheltenham Spa Railway Station, has explained why demolition work has yet to begin.
A spokesperson for Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “We are the administering authority of the Cheshire Pension Fund, who hold properties as part of the investment portfolio. That is why the application is in the name of Cheshire West and Chester Council as the legal owner of the property.
“The granted planning permission is subject to various planning conditions which need to be discharged. The Pension Fund’s external property managers are currently working on discharging these planning conditions.
“As such, we cannot advise at this moment in time when the works will commence or finish.”