Council plans legal fights to fix collapsed Chester City Walls section

A section of the walls near the Eastgate Clock collapsed in early 2020 and, while the local authority placed a temporary walkway and scaffolding so people could circumnavigate the section, no work to repair the walls appeared to have taken place.

Now CWaC has explained that it is considering two courses of legal action – one to help gain access to the site of the collapse, and one to recover costs from a third party over possible grounds of negligence that led to the collapse.

A spokesperson for CWaC said: "Since the collapse near to the Eastgate Clock, the council has been considering potential legal action as it is understood that there are grounds to investigate negligence by a third party which may have contributed to the collapse of the City Walls.

The collapsed section of Chester City Walls. Picture: @LoveLifeLossTom/PA.

"The council began a legal process to seek recovery of costs from those third parties who are believed to be responsible for the collapse, letters of claim have been issued. The prospective defendants deny wrongdoing."

Should the council feel there are enough grounds for negligence and proceeds to prosecution, given the costs involved, the case would likely be heard in the King's Bench Division of the High Court.

In terms of ease of access to the site so that repairs can be carried out, the council has said this too has been difficult.

The spokesperson added: "The site of the collapse is landlocked; for a significant amount of time, the council has been seeking access from the owners of the land where the collapse occurred, however this has been denied. Alternative access arrangements are being negotiated with other landowners.

"As access has not been granted, legal options are being progressed to enable access to the site to carry out inspections, and possible remedial works.

"The council will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that the City Walls, an internationally recognised heritage asset is preserved and maintained to the highest standard.

"An engineering repair scheme is well developed and will be ready to start on site when the legal and access issues have been resolved."

More scaffold propping has been designed to support the partially collapsed inner wall to prevent any further damage, with a roof added for further protection. This will be installed in the first phase of the repair work.

The collapsed section of Chester City Walls. Picture: @LoveLifeLossTom/PA.

The local authority added it has spent more than £6.1 million over the past 10 years on the upkeep and repair of the Grade I/II*-listed walls. All changes to the wall, including maintenance and repair work, need Scheduled Monument Consent from the Secretary of State.

This has involved:

• St John Street Steps stabilisation
• Morgan’s Mount Stabilisation
• King Charles Tower stabilisation and new balcony
• Water Tower repairs
• Thimbleby’s Tower restoration
• Roman Gardens Gateway repairs and enhancement
• Pemberton’s Parlour refurbishment
• Eastgate Bridge repairs and wall stabilisation
• Watergate Bridge parapet repairs
• Northgate Steps stabilisation and reconstruction
• King Charles Tower Green steps replacement

But the cost of fully repairing the walls now stands at £10.5 million, CWaC admitted – with £3.8 million considered essential in the short-term.

Repairs and assessments planned over the next 15 months, until April 2025, are:

• St Martin’s Gate (1966 bridge) Steps – feasibility study and repair
• City Wall Assessment – risk assessment inspection and report
• Wall west of Northgate – options appraisal and design of permanent repairs
• Essential preventative (routine) maintenance
• Statement of Significance – to prepare for a full review of the legal protections covering the wall and buried archaeological remains

About three million visitors use the walls each year, it is estimated.