Statement on partial collapse of building on Thurnham Street in Lancaster

Statement on partial collapse of building on Thurnham Street in Lancaster

Lancaster City Council is continuing to respond to the partial collapse of a property on Thurnham Street in Lancaster.

The city council was alerted to the incident on the evening of March 5 and immediately enacted its emergency procedures. Council officers attended the site, where it was evident that the top right-hand half of the outer leaf of a gable wall had fallen onto adjoining land.

Working alongside partner organisations, Thurnham Street was closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The overriding priority was to secure the site and prevent any further collapse.

The city council's Building Control Team worked alongside its appointed structural engineers, Thomas Consulting, to agree a sequence of work that would make the immediate locality safe. Once the initial work had been undertaken, one lane of Thurnham Street was reopened to traffic just after lunchtime on 6 March.

Further work to stabilise the building will continue. The city council's structural engineers have designed a temporary support arrangement for the building owner to implement.

The works will need to be delivered by a suitably qualified and experienced specialist, and the council will ensure that the works comply with the specification provided. Once the temporary work is complete, the skips located on Thurnham Street can be removed and the road fully reopened.

Mark Cassidy, Chief Officer (Planning and Climate Change) at Lancaster City Council, said: "Following notification that this incident had taken place, council officers worked closely with partner organisations and specialist engineers to secure the site and reduce disruption.

"Our thanks go to all those involved for their support in responding to the incident, and in particular Thomas Consulting for their structural assessment work at short notice.

"As you would expect, the safety of the public was the clear priority throughout, and we would all like to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during the road closure."

Further updates will be provided in due course.

Last updated: 06 March 2026