'It's a miracle no-one has been hurt'- Safety concerns raised over abandoned water tower in Peterborough
Paston and Walton ward councillor Alex Rafiq has raised serious safety concerns about the former water tower in Walton.
The Victorian water tower on Frederick Drive currently sits abandoned.
The tower was designed by city architect Alan Riddle in 1912 and was tower was part of the so-called “forgotten factory” used by Perkins to build aeroplanes during the First World War.
The factory was sold for £11.7 million in 1989 to The Parkfield Group, operating as Triplex, and finally closed down in 2000.
The buildings that made up the factory became derelict and most were demolished in 2010 leaving only the The iconic Sages Factory Water Tower
in 2018, plans were approved to convert the tower into six floors to form two one-bed dwellings and two two-bed dwellings. There was also an intention to add a four storey extension- with the flats to run across the original and new towers.
This planning permission lapsed in 2022 as no works took place but was renewed in the same year.
Still, no work has taken place and the tower remains with an abandoned look.
Cllr Rafiq, who has called on the council to take action to enforce a 28-day notice issued to the landowner in April to secure the site, said: “The fences are down, part of the floor is missing in the tower and there are a lot of hazards with bricks, building materials and fence panels lying around.
“Recently, there have been multiple fires being set on the site.
"This Friday, children are about to break up for the six-week holidays so the landowner really does need to secure the site.
"It is an absolute miracle that no one has been injured so far.”