GOWERTON: Sterry Road closure could be eased after structural report — but schools return to disruption next week
In a video update posted to social media on Saturday morning, the ward councillor said he had been liaising directly with a specialist building control manager at Swansea Council, and that a team had been commissioned to assess what remains of the Victorian building. He said the road could reopen fully or partially depending on what the report finds, and promised to update the community as soon as the findings were known.
The building was gutted by fire on Easter Monday afternoon, when crews from six fire stations — Gorseinon, Swansea Central, Morriston, Tumble, Llanelli and Swansea West — attended the blaze at the derelict three-storey structure at 1.13pm. The building’s roof collapsed during the fire, and the scale of the response required a full multi-agency attendance including structural engineers, the local highways department, National Grid, the gas board and South Wales Police alongside fire crews.
Cllr Jenkins also flagged growing concern about the impact on traffic when schools return after the Easter holidays next week. Sterry Road is one of Gowerton’s busiest streets — a main shopping artery for the village, home to local businesses including the Gowerton Fish and Chips shop immediately next door to the damaged building, and a key bus route connecting Swansea to Waunarlwydd, Gowerton and Gorseinon. Its continued closure has caused significant disruption to residents, businesses and commuters throughout the week, and the councillor warned that congestion was likely to worsen once the school run resumes.
The councillor thanked the fire brigade and police for securing the area and making it safe in the aftermath of the blaze. He also raised the possibility that the fire may have been started deliberately, saying that if that proved to be the case, those responsible had put the lives of firefighters, officers and the public at risk.
The former London and North Western Railway Club on Sterry Road, still bearing the LNW signage on its fire-ravaged facade. Image credit: Richard BondSouth Wales Police confirmed earlier this week that a formal fire investigation was not required. Sterry Road was closed while structural engineers assessed the building for collapse risk, with police warning at that stage that there was no timescale for reopening while the danger remained.
National Grid engineers were also called to the scene to deal with overhead power lines affected by the blaze. A spokesperson confirmed that as a precaution the electricity supply was disconnected and removed, and protective works were carried out to enable scaffolding to be erected safely. “All work has been focused on safety and all of our equipment has now been made safe,” the spokesperson said, adding that there was no wider impact on local electricity supplies.
Scaffolding has been erected across the front of the gutted structure as contractors assess what remains. Local residents say the section of road alongside the chippy side of the street remains inaccessible, though pedestrians have been able to use the opposite pavement near Top Fade barbers and Gowerton station during the closure.
The building has a troubled history well before Easter Monday’s blaze. It was previously damaged by fire in October 2020, with a new roof fitted in 2021 — the same roof destroyed in Monday’s fire. When the property was listed for sale in 2023 at £230,000, the seller declared that fire damage from the 2020 incident remained unresolved. The building was most recently in use as the home of the Community Cwtch charity shop, whose signage remains visible on the ground floor of the fire-damaged structure.
The former London and North Western Railway Club has been a landmark on Sterry Road for well over a century. Its derelict state and troubled recent history had already made it a concern in the community before Monday’s fire reduced it to a shell, with the loss of its roof — fitted just four years ago — leaving the Victorian walls exposed to the elements.
Cllr Jenkins said he would continue to liaise with the council’s building control team and would share the findings of the structural report with residents as soon as they were available. In the meantime, drivers are advised to avoid Sterry Road and use alternative routes.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
National Grid called in as work to make fire-damaged building safe continues on Sterry Road
The latest update before today’s announcement, including photos from the scene.
Road remains closed and building assessed for collapse risk after Easter Monday fire
How the situation developed in the days following the blaze.
Roof collapses as fire guts former LNW Club on Sterry Road — blaze now extinguished
Our original report on the Easter Monday fire.