A £100,000 restoration job of the Moot Hall should have been carried out after summer because the scaffolding has covered up a town asset during the height of the tourist season, according to Keswick councillors.
Town council members have also complained about the size of the sign which advertises the work by sub-contractors Keswick Scaffolding Services; quipping that it was nearly as “big as the Moot Hall” itself and should be reduced.
Councillors also said a long cloth banner promoting a separate Himalayan Craft Fayre in the hall had also gone up at the front without planning permission from the Lake District National Park Authority, but had since been removed after complaints.
Councillor Paul Titley told a meeting of the council that he felt the scaffolding had “spoilt the look of the town” during summer.
Cllr Titley said: “Here we have the most iconic part of Keswick – probably the northern Lake District – and it’s covered in a cocoon. Why does the cocoon have to go on during the top summer months?
“Why couldn’t it have gone on in the later months? I think it has spoilt the look of the town and it didn’t need to happen.”
Cllr Allan Daniels said both issues had been reported to Moot Hall trustees, the Battersby Hall Charity, which had agreed to have the contractors’ signage reduced in size, while the large banner for the Himalayan Craft Fayre had also been removed.
Cllr Daniels said the town council could not allow commercial signage on the prominent hall as other businesses wanting to do the same are required to apply for planning permission from the national park authority.
Cllr Daniels told councillors: “If a local business wanted to put up something like this, they would be told, well and truly, no.”
Robert Nelson, 35, of Keswick Scaffolding Services, said the banner had originally been on the Pencil Mill development.
Mr Nelson said signage on scaffolding was required by law, although the law did not specify the size it had to be.
He said it was not the first occasion the town council had objected to projects he had been working on in Keswick and as a local man hiring eight people – he sometimes felt like they had got it in for his business.
Mr Nelson said the town council had bigger priorities in Keswick which needed to be addressed and that the Himalayan event was a charity which needed to be supported. His company had “bent over backwards” to accommodate the market at its own cost, he added.
The scaffolding is subject to a scaffolding pavement licence. It was approved in July by Cumbria County Council prior to going up.
The company said it had worked closely with the council to adjust the design of the scaffolding to ensure the market could still go ahead when the scaffolding is up with none of the traders affected.
“The scaffold has been debris-netted to prevent any debris from falling, therefore the building would be covered regardless of the sign. There are no restrictions on signage unless this affects the integrity of the scaffolding,” said a spokeswoman for Keswick Scaffolding Services.
“We are extremely proud of our small company to have gained such a large job in the centre of Keswick. We are always grateful when Keswick residents and companies choose to use our services.
“We are a Keswick-based company, we employ staff from Keswick and support and sponsor local Keswick businesses. In what has been a hard year on businesses we would encourage people to support local people and business where they can.”
Cllr Daniels said the town council had needed to act on complaints and there had been a “proliferation” of Himalayan stickers around the town too and if cloth signage was left up and exposed to the elements, it could become tatty.
Cllr Daniels said: “We are all for local businesses and want them to succeed after COVID. Rob is a brilliant guy and has been incredibly kind to the community and St John’s Church. We do not mean to upset him but the sign can be downsized. It could be half the size that it is, and still be noticeable.”
The work was originally expected to last around 11 weeks but is more likely to continue for longer due to issues having been identified.
Tony Lywood, chair of the Battersby Hall Charity, said the charity understood the concerns expressed at the Keswick Town Council meeting.
He said the only banners that should be on the scaffolding are the main contractor Stobart’s and Keswick Scaffolding and that the banner would be addressed.
Mr Lywood said the timing of the works could not be avoided as repainting of the woodwork was “difficult and sometimes impossible” over winter and the extent of the repairs had been large due to “minimum” maintenance over the last 20 years.
The repointing of the Moot Hall is also done with traditional lime mortar which cannot be put on the building in cold weather. he said.
The work to the Moot Hall are very extensive and are going to take time,” said Mr Lywood.
“Battersby Hall Charity wants to carry these works out thoroughly, diligently but with the minimum of disruption possible.
“This building is the grand old lady of Keswick and needs the proper care and attention that this most iconic building deserves.”
