Fleetwood businesses offered support from Wyre Council amid economic impact of Lord Street closure after fire
“We recognise the ongoing road closure has been incredibly challenging.”
Wyre Council has announced a business support meeting for Fleetwood traders as the ongoing closure of Lord Street continues to have a profound economic impact on the town’s high street.
The council said it recognised that the road closure had been “incredibly challenging” for many local businesses and praised the resilience of the town’s business community during the difficult period.
Wyre Council’s Economic Development Team is working with Food for Thought and Crafty Company Fleetwood to bring local businesses together for a support meeting focused on understanding the challenges they are currently facing and identifying practical ways businesses can support one another.
The session will also look at future opportunities for Fleetwood, with businesses invited to hear about future investment and regeneration plans, discover free business support services and hear from local success stories.
The high street has been closed since a major fire in June 2026 at the old M&S building on Lord Street, with the prolonged closure creating significant difficulties for businesses in the area.
The council said: “We recognise the ongoing road closure on Lord Street, Fleetwood has been incredibly challenging for many local businesses and appreciate the resilience shown by our business community during this difficult period.
“That’s why Wyre Council’s Economic Development Team, working with Food for Thought and Crafty Company Fleetwood, is hosting a business support meeting to bring local businesses together.”
The meeting comes as the council continues efforts to address the situation surrounding another severely fire-damaged building on Lord Street, the former catalogue shop. A court hearing over the future of the building has been provisionally listed for September 2, Wyre Council has previously confirmed.
The council has applied to the Magistrates’ Court for an order under Section 77 of the Building Act 1984, seeking to ensure the building is made safe and that the danger posed by the structure is addressed. However, the council said the court has not yet authorised the summons required for the hearing to proceed.
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Wyre Council said it cannot legally serve a court summons until it has been authorised and issued by the court. The building’s owners are also legally entitled to a minimum of three clear days’ notice of the hearing, excluding weekends and bank holidays.
The council said it has repeatedly chased the matter and understands the summons is currently awaiting authorisation by the court’s legal team.
If the court grants the Section 77 order, the building owners will have 14 days to comply. Wyre Council has stressed that the 14-day period would begin on the date the order is made — the date of the hearing — rather than when the application was submitted.
Against that backdrop, the council’s latest business support initiative is aimed at helping Fleetwood’s businesses navigate the immediate challenges while also looking towards the town’s longer-term investment and regeneration opportunities.