Almost a month after flooding caused by a leak in Westmorland and Furness Council’s £8.5 million Voreda House forced the full closure of the building for a week in September, large sections remain unusable, with the first floor and other parts still out of action and off limits to staff and visitors.
Following the temporary full closure, the council was able to partially reopen the building on Monday 22nd September, allowing some staff to return to work from the second floor. On the ground floor, the reception area, Patterdale Room, and three interview rooms were unaffected and are also back in operation.
However, contractors continue to work on areas of the building that suffered damage from the leak — primarily the first floor, which requires extensive repairs. The council anticipates that this work will not be completed until towards the end of 2025.
On Friday afternoon, contractors were still on site using power tools to remove plaster and concrete from the first floor.
Once the leak repairs are complete and the council regains full access to the ground floor, further work is planned to address longstanding issues with the toilets and drainage that have affected the £8.5 million building since it opened last year.
The council is developing a schedule of works and expects contractors to begin in January. The complex drainage work is expected to keep them on site until at least spring 2026.
This week, the council’s Assistant Director of Corporate Assets said:
“The requirement to undertake these works and the costs flowing from them are considered to be capable of being addressed through the contractual mechanisms available to the council with the contractor.”
“It has taken a considerable effort from many of our teams over the last couple of weeks to enable staff to work safely and securely and to keep the doors open to the public and I would like to thank everyone involved [for] those continued efforts.”
The councils Eden locality board, meeting on Wednesday at Voreda House will have the opportunity to raise questions on the situation facing the council with Voreda House.
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