A former Kendal pub earmarked to be converted into luxury apartments has been reduced to rubble over safety fears.

Westmorland and Furness Council served a dangerous structure notice on properties 133 to 139 Stricklandgate, which was previously the Sawyers Arms.

Explaining the decision, a council spokesman said: ‘The building has unfortunately deteriorated to the point where it is considered to be an immediate safety risk and causing danger to the public and therefore requires demolition."

The Westmorland Gazette: The former pub was supposed to be turned into a block of flats before being deemed to be too unsafe to be left standingThe former pub was supposed to be turned into a block of flats before being deemed to be too unsafe to be left standing (Image: Matthew Holmes)

An emergency road closure was in place between 7:30pm on Tuesday and 3am on Wednesday, which included a short suspension to the one way system on Stricklandgate, Highgate and Kirkland.

The spokesperson added: "Teams worked through the night to complete the works by 3am, minimising as much disruption to road users as possible and with the safety of our communities being our top priority."

An abnormal load vehicle was used to assist the demolition process, which travelled through the pedestrianised part of town under traffic management and with the support of Cumbria Police.

At the time of writing, the site was yet to be properly cleared of debris following the late night work.

Back in 2021, planning permission was granted to developers OHC Property Group to transform the disused pub into a block of 15 luxury apartments.

At the time, work was expected to be completed in the spring or summer of 2022.

The Westmorland Gazette: Developers previously said that preserving the structure was a key part of their plansDevelopers previously said that preserving the structure was a key part of their plans (Image: Matthew Holmes)

The council added that they had been monitoring the site and property for a large amount of time before deciding that they had to act to protect residents.

Upon the announcement of the development in 2021, James Brecknock, director at OHC Property Group, described how the priority of the work would revolve around 'maintaining and promoting the existing heritage of the property'.

Mr Brecknock added that ‘careful consideration’ had been taken during the design stage to ensure much of the existing building and courtyard was preserved.

We have reached out to OHC for a comment.