A major road in Ipswich is to expected to be closed all weekend because of fears a building in the area is structurally unsafe.
The top of Bramford Road will shut to both drivers and pedestrians at its junction with Norwich Road from 6pm tonight.
It is understood the affected building is the Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Cultural Centre, formerly the Rose & Crown pub.
Access to Benezet Street from Norwich Road is being maintained, and diversion routes are being put in place.
Council chiefs have decided to shut the road after taking advice from health and safety bosses.
Independent structural engineers and scaffolding consultants have said it is now structurally unsafe and for safety reasons, the road opposite needs to close.
Chief executive of Ipswich Borough Council, Russell Williams, said: “We have closed the road because public safety is our foremost concern.
“Diversions will be in place and we will be working with our advisers and contractors to reopen the road as soon as possible.
“However, we will not take any risks.
“In the meantime, we continue to discuss remedial actions with the site owners.”
He added: “We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the closure.”
However, Aran Ismail, of Noore Builders, which is carrying out the extension at the centre, has assured the building is at no risk of collapse.
Mr Ismail said the road closure was in place as a precaution because there was a problem with the building’s underpinning due to its age.
He added: “There’s some damage to the property, it’s too old and we are trying to make it the safest property in Ipswich, and we will do that.”
Mr Ismail also denied rumours that some load bearing materials had been removed from the building by mistake during the renovation work.
A spokesman from the Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Centre declined to comment and said the matter was in the hands of the builders.
A few weeks ago a huge pile of rubbish was spotted at the junction of Norwich Road and Bramford Road.
The Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Cultural Centre confirmed in October that among the pile was largely material stripped from inside the centre and left in the street by workers.
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