THE blaze which has devastated the iconic Mr Smith’s building has been described as a “very sad day” for Warrington by council chief executive Steven Broomhead – and has left a huge question mark hanging over plans to transform the building into a Youth Zone.
Mr Broomhead (right) said:”Nothing can be decided until the structural safety of the building can be examined and the loss adjusters have inspected the building.
“I don’t think the Youth Zone project will come to an end but we are going to have to take stock of the various options.
“We don’t know yet how much of the building will have to be demolished – but the roof has completely gone and a wall has had to be demolished for safety reasons.
“Personally I would like to protect as much of the building as possible but it will depend on what the structural engineers say.
“It is a very sad day for Warrington but all the parties involved are in discussion.”
Warrington Youth Club has been working closely with Warrington Borough Council, OnSide and the private sector to develop the Mr Smiths site into a state of the art Youth Zone for children and young people from across Warrington.
Warrington Youth Club chief executive Dave McNicholl said: “The news of the fire has come as a complete shock and we are working closely with our partners to look at the implications of this situation for the development of the facility in Warrington.”
Meanwhile the services provided by Warrington Youth Club at the Peace Centre, St Gregory’s RC High School and the new town centre facility, ‘The Junction’ are still being provided, please visit www.warringtonyouthclub.co.uk for more details.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the blaze, a 43-year-old man and two juveniles.
