THERE are more delays at a trading estate building which was destroyed in a fire as the rebuilding project is now 16 weeks behind schedule.

Works to restore the tower building at St Michaels Trading Estate to its former glory began in November with an objective of finishing in May.

The completion date has been pushed back on numerous occasions and now the building looks set to reopen in November.

Haywards and Co, which owns the estate, stated there were several reasons for the delay, including a shortage of materials, technical design issues and problems with supporting rooftop scaffolding.

A spokesman for Haywards and Co said: "The time frame for the work has frustratingly been delayed again and we are now 16 weeks behind schedule.

"There are many reasons for this - not only the early delays caused by negotiations with loss adjusters, but also unexpected problems identified in the infrastructure of an old building, materials shortages, some technical design issues in the roof structure and problems with the supporting rooftop scaffolding.

"The consequence is that the work is not now scheduled for completion until mid October with open days going ahead in early November.

The spokesman added: "There is much interest in the reinstated building. It will effectively be the first substantial commercial trading space to become available in Bridport for many years.

"We have 130 ‘expressions of interest’ on a waiting list and these will all be invited to view the new building as well as any interested existing tenants of course."

A fire tore through offices and studios in the Tower Building at St Michael’s Trading Estate in Bridport on July 7 2018, displacing six tenants in the immediate aftermath, and 14 tenants in the longer term.

The fire destroyed a number of art studios and offices. Twelve fire engines were called out to deal with the blaze, which was believed to have been accidental, with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service saying at the time that the cause could have been 'an electrical issue or through refracted light on combustible materials'.

After a lengthy delay, extensive work to restore the site finally began in November, following dragged out negotiations between the site's owners, loss adjusters and contractors.