Emergency repairs for historical building agreed

Repairs are due to start at a building next to Peterborough Cathedral

Emergency repairs to a historical building are to be carried out after plans were approved and backed by Historic England.

Parts of Grade I-listed Laurel Court, next to Peterborough Cathedral, are believed to date back to 1690.

The Chapter of Peterborough Cathedral, the cathedral's governing body, has received listed building consent to begin repairs and surveys to the roof, as well as a number of windows and doors.

The building is mostly empty, but used for some storage and it is hoped that a new use for it can be found once the structural concerns are rectified.

The exact history of Laurel Court is not known but it was used as a school from 1870 and later a choir school, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Planning documents stated: "The condition of Laurel Court has been a significant concern for several decades, and remains... extremely poor.

"It needs a major phase of complete repair, to deal with all of the external fabric and structural issues."

Historic England backed the works at what it described as a "handsome house of several phases".

An inspector at Historic England wrote: "Historic England supports these emergency repairs and investigative works in principle.

"With the input of a suitably qualified structural engineer, we accept the necessity of the works in principle, and consider that no harm to the significance of the building is likely to be caused."

The work will be overseen by conservation-accredited professionals, the cathedral architect and a structural engineer.