RESIDENTIAL units and pop-up pods for street food are among the potential directions identified for an historic Barrow building.

A new feasibility report has listed a number of 'opportunities' for the Grade II-listed House of Lords building in Abbey Road. 

The privately owned property was gutted by fire in 2017.

Cllr Ann Thomson, leader of Barrow Borough Council, said: “The building itself is important to the character of the town’s conservation area and, along with many residents, we would like to see it looking smart and being used once again.

“The feasibility report has highlighted some really interesting and ambitious options for the site for the future.

“Any of these options would not only open up a new chapter of life for the building, they would improve the look and feel of the immediate surrounding area, which is currently suffering because of the derelict and unsightly nature of the site.”

The potential directions identified by the feasibility report are: 

  • Consolidate the original structure of the property
  • Install pop-up pods within the site to offer coffee, street food or bookable meeting rooms
  • Rebuild the south-western end of the property, either to near its original specification or by using modern materials in a sympathetic manner. Parts of the ruin would be retained as ruin and incorporated into the design under this option
  • Create a mix of residential units and community spaces on the site
  • Create a new public realm within the site

The feasibility report was commissioned by Barrow Borough Council last year, using funding from the £1.1 million High Street Heritage Action Zone grant awarded by English Heritage in 2019.

READ MORE: £150k in 'urgent' works needed at landmark site gutted by fire

Barrow Borough Council has issued an advisory letter pursuant to section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act, requesting the current owners of the House of Lords building clear debris and vegetation from areas of the site. 

Cllr Thomson said the options identified by the feasibility report were currently hypothetical and 'would be for the owners or future owners of the site to consider and explore in further detail'.