Fire-ravaged Bradford church posed risk of serious injury, Thomas Crompton says

Demolition experts at Thomas Crompton shed light on the decision to demolish the former chapel on Undercliffe Road amid the confusion.

Crews were called in and asked to demolish the building at the request of the owner on Wednesday.

It followed an inspection on Monday evening by Bradford Council's building control service.

The Council's visit suggested the ground floor was relatively undamaged while the roof structure and floor joists were largely in place, thereby providing restraint to the walls.

But it was a further visit by chartered surveyors and engineers which led to the building's eventual demolition, it has now emerged.

Thomas Crompton, managing director for the demolition company, said: "It's the owner that contacted us.

"The property was inspected by a chartered building surveyor and chartered building engineer. They deemed that it was in danger of collapse. 

Photos via Thomas Crompton.

"We took some pictures. You can see from the pictures the extent of the damage. There was nothing inside. 

Speaking about the side wall of the church, Mr Crompton said: "You can see when you see the drain pipe how it's bent over. That was in danger. It had to have an exclusion zone. That wall is made out of stone brick material. There's a lot of weight in that and it could have risk of serious injury. It needed to come down. 

"Thomas Crompton is an ethical company, we're regulated. We wouldn't have just pulled anything down unless there's an immediate danger to life."

Photo via Thomas Crompton.

Most of the historic church has been taken down while the foundation stone, laid on June 14, 1884, has been saved.

A T&A reader poll showed an overwhelming majority of people were against demolition of the church (81 per cent).

Just 19 per cent of the 538 participants said they would support demolition.

The T&A understands the fire began around 3.30pm on Monday on the first floor before spreading upwards.

The cause of the fire remains a mystery, though it is believed to have been deliberate.

Bradford CID has since launched a police investigation.

Enquiries are ongoing, West Yorkshire Police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101, quoting log number 1242 of April 25.

Earlier this month, a planning application to demolish the church and build shops and industrial units in its place had been submitted to Bradford Council.

The chapel, based at 114 Undercliffe Road, had most recently been used as a workshop.

A decision on the application was expected in May.