CHURCH Lane architect Ian Stainburn is to apply for urgent listed building consent to carry out essential repairs to the Market House.

Mr Stainburn said the town council, which owns the building, has agreed to have it lifted off its sandstone pads, using hydraulic jacks, so that the badly decayed, supporting wooden pillars can be restored.

He said: "On behalf of the council, we commissioned an investigation of the post bases, using micro-drilling, to see how badly affected they are by decay.

"The results indicate that the bases are decayed to a height of approximately 100mm above the sandstone pads on which they rest."

Mr Stainburn said the damage had been caused by damp, salts and infestation by wood boring insects, and had already led to the timber compressing, fraying and splitting at the bases.

He added: "To repair the posts, it will be necessary to remove the decayed material from within their cores.

"The repairs themselves are relatively straightforward. The decay will be cut away while the building is raised.

"Fabric sacks will be set into the cavities and the building will be lowered back onto the fragile sandstone blocks.

"While still supported, the sacks will be filled with liquid grout which, when set, will have the same crushing strength as the timber, and will act in the same way as the oak, while not being affected by decay or insect infestation."

Mr Stainburn, who said that tenders would be invited from contractors later this month, added: "We have undertaken similar work previously, having lifted the upper storey of the gatehouse at Lower Brockhamp-ton for the National Trust, with notable success."

Work on 13 pillars will be carried out and the jacks will have to support a weight of 65 tons. Re-roofing work and other repairs will only be carried out after the building is lowered.