The Piece Hall: Plan to strengthen wall of historic Grade I-listed building to keep pests out

The Piece Hall Trust has applied to Calderdale Council for listed building consent to do the work on the wall on the west side of Halifax’s historic Piece Hall.

Supporting statements with the application to Calderdale planners says the proposed works are to ensure the longevity and protection of the Grade I listed building.

In turn this will reduce the risk of any pests from entering the wall cavity of the venue.

The Piece Hall was reopened in 2017 after £19 million and several years of renovation work.

The building – which dates back to 1799 and is a rare surviving example of a large-scale, purpose-built cloth hall – now hosts businesses and a range of public and other events, highly successfully.

Events include a frequently sold out series of summer concerts, featuring some of music’s biggest stars, and a Christmas market.

The proposed works will solve issues by which pests have been able to get into the wall cavity of the building, say the supporting statements.

“Currently we have evidence of deceased rodents that have accessed through the gaps between the brickwork…they can only be removed by removing a section of bricks to allow our pest control contractor to remove the rodents,” it says.

The Trust has in principle instructed a local contractor with previous experience working on heritage buildings to carry out the wall repair works, if permission is given.

This company also works with the local council and can be trusted to conduct a safe method to ensure structural integrity during the works, according to the application.

Prior conversations with conservation officers have taken place to ensure the method of works are suitable and what is the best course of action to take, say the statement.