The churchyard wall collapsed some five years ago. Since that time, the Town Council has been working with a company of architectural engineers to determine the best way to rebuild the wall. The costs have been rising throughout the period and the Council has been saving towards the final outcome by keeping money in Reserve. The Precept has had to be increased also to help to pay for this.
The rebuild is now in its final stages with the retaining concrete wall in place. The next stage will be to front this with the original brickwork to retain its authenticity. It is hope that the work will be completed by the end of 2021.
Here's the investigation report: St James' Churchyard Wall Investigation Report
Update 25th November 2021
It is envisaged that the church yard wall will be completed in approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
Outstanding work to be completed are the coping stones and railings. These have been ordered and delivery is imminent.
It has been pointed out by the surveyor that an end section of the wall which was not cleared of vegetation from the outset has a piece which needs a small rebuild however it can not be included in the original quotation.
The contractors will be making good the rear gardens of the properties affected. The tenant of no 1 has made a representation about the type of finish of the garden she would prefer, however, it should be noted that, in the contract, the gardens would be returned to grass as previous.
Scorer Hawkins has informed the council that the completed contract should be approximately £5K below the contracted amount. This is exclusive of any external bodies.
Churchyard Wall Team