WOLVERHAMPTON: Preliminary work has begun to rebuild Wolverhampton's fire-ravaged Carvers Building Supplies.
Groundworks for a warehouse to replace a building destroyed in February are under way. but it will still be several months before construction work can start.
Managing director Henry Carver plans a 'builders' village, expanding previous trading facilities. The firm will move liquid petroleum gas tanks to a site in Gailey bought for it by Wolverhampton City Council.
It will settle a dispute with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on planning permission for the Victoria Hall student village.
The council was taken to court because it gave permission for the complex despite it being in the blast zone of Carvers' gas tanks.
The warehouse, in Little's Lane, will be rebuilt making it easier to load big items.
Carvers, in Wolverhampton since 1896, plans 32ft-high storage bays, one for cement and plaster and another, fitted with sprinklers, to store timber.
Phase two of the project will be Carvers main self-service and warehouse, which as well as housing Carvers own sales office will also have some concessions for specialist product areas with which Carvers are not particularly associated.
The warehouse was destroyed by a blaze which started in wood burning heater. Almost all 150 staff have been retained.
