Carlisle City Council has confirmed that they have been advised to completely demolish the Central Plaza.

The advice has come following an inspection of the building by an expert demolition engineer.

A spokesman for the city council said: “The engineer concluded that although it was not at risk of imminent failure there are many structural issues that will only get worse and very quickly with the building as it is now.

“Remedial measures were considered but it was felt that it was not safe to implement these, and they would not benefit the structural integrity long-term.

“In conclusion therefore, the engineer recommended that we should begin planning for complete demolition.

“We expect to receive the engineer’s full report next week.”