Denbigh hospital: Council still hopes to buy building

A council still hopes to buy a former asylum despite it being badly damage by fire.

The blaze broke out at the former North Wales Hospital, Denbigh, at 03:00 BST on Friday.

Denbighshire Council said it was "still committed" to buying the Grade-II listed building despite parts of the property needing to be demolished.

Following a meeting on Monday, it said its main concern was keeping people away from the unsafe building.

The former asylum, which closed in 1996, had been set alight a number of times, most recently in February.

It is currently owned by an offshore company which was granted planning permission for a redevelopment scheme in 2006, but that has since expired.

There had been uncertainty over its future but following a long battle, Denbighshire council won a compulsory purchase order (CPO) and plans were announced last year to preserve it.

The local authority hopes to transfer ownership of the building to a preservation trust.