Bats could put halt to Mitchell's demolition plans
BATS could help save the Mitchell's Brewery building from demolition.
Mitchell's announced plans to flatten the Brewery Lane premises earlier this month when it submitted a Notice of Intended Demolition to Lancaster City Council.
However, it is a criminal offence to disturb bat roosts and Mitchell's has now agreed to conduct a survey into reported bat activity.
Natural England will look at the survey results before deciding whether to grant a licence allowing demolition to proceed – but said a decision could take up to 30 days.
Mitchell's had originally planned to bulldoze the buildings on November 30.
But it has now emerged planning permission is needed from the city council because the brewery adjoins a house.
The brewery has submitted an application but the council ruling is not expected until December 17.
At a meeting arranged by opponents of the plans at the Gregson Centre on Monday, Bulk city councillor John Whitelegg said he had written to secretary of state John Denham, asking him to stop the demolition.
The buildings are due to be bulldozed as part of the Centros development and Coun Whitelegg said demolition now would pre-empt the outcome of the public inquiry into the scheme.
He urged campaigners to come up with their own vision for the site, suggesting a conversion along the lines of Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre.
Campaigners were also told that English Heritage had agreed to reconsider listing the buildings.
Tim Hamilton-Cox, from 'It's Our City', said new evidence had emerged about their age and architecture.
He said a well at the site was used by friars as early as the 14th century and that there had been a building there since 1750.
Mitchell's said it had been reassured by letters and comments on its website that opposition to the demolition was a 'minority view'.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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