Mayor of Ludlow Cllr Tim Gill said, ‘The Town Council is pleased that the delays caused by Covid-19 are behind us, and the Morton Partnership has recently appointed a conservation accredited engineer as the new project manager to continue the explorative works to yield the information required to create an engineered solution to the repair of the wall.’

Ludlow Town Council has maintenance liability for the closed churchyard that belongs to St Laurence’s Parochial Parish Council (PCC). The next stage is a site investigation including a number of small boreholes to understand ground build up. Drilling six small cores through the wall will ascertain the thickness of the structure. Mortar samples will also be taken and analysed to inform the repair mortar specification. Neighbouring properties may be asked to assist with access to remove the need for road side working permits.

Before the works can take place the Morton Partnership is in discussions with Historic England regarding the archaeology that must be considered as part of the application for scheduled monument consent for the intrusive investigations.

The PCC also require a Diocesan Faculty for the works. Once the PCC receives the consent from Historic England, the Faculty application can be sent to the Chancellor for consideration. The works will begin when all permissions and access are granted.