Fire-ravaged building could be restored

A listed building could be restored to its former glory after it was devastated by fire.

Belle House in Bridge Street, Pershore, has been closed since fire ripped through the three-storey building towards the end of last year.

The Grade II-listed structure was home to Italian restaurant Benvenuti on the ground floor, with residential flats on the first and second floors.

Plans submitted to Wychavon District Council say the works will aim to reinstate the entire property to its pre-fire condition with like-for-like repairs and restoration.

The developers stressed the restoration works are still at the proposal stage, however, and assessments will need to be carried out on a timber-by-timber basis to work out to the full extent of the damage.

They added any replacements would be made on a like-for-like basis or with heritage materials and methods where feasible.

Belle House was originally built as a warehouse for a draper opposite and was converted in 1902 into a fire station.

It subsequently fell into disrepair and then became a clothes shop and house in the 1970s.

The building then housed council offices and a museum before eventually becoming a restaurant.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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