A key road in Ipswich will remain closed “for the foreseeable future” over fears about the stability of a building in the area.

The top of Bramford Road will stay shut to drivers at its junction with Norwich Road amid concerns about the safety of the Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Cultural Centre.

The former Rose and Crown pub is currently being extended and last Friday Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) closed the nearby road to both motorists and pedestrians after the building was deemed “structurally unsafe” by health and safety bosses.

Tonight, council leaders confirmed Bramford Road would remain shut to traffic indefinitely, but the footpath has been reopened.

A spokesman for IBC said the authority was continuing to work with the owners of the Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Cultural Centre to make the site safe.

He added: “Action has been taken to stabilise the old Rose and Crown building but the top of Bramford Road will remain closed for the foreseeable future while work continues. Public safety is our paramount concern.

“We have served the site owner with a notice to make the building safe and progress is being made but the road will remain closed until we are absolutely sure it is safe to reopen it. The footpath has now been reopened.

“We apologise to motorists and pedestrians for the inconvenience.”

However, Aran Ismail, of Noore Builders, which is carrying out the extension at the centre, has previously 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 for the Ipswich Kurdish Islamic Centre declined to comment and said the matter was in the hands of the builders.

Last month a huge pile of rubbish was spotted at the junction of Norwich Road and Bramford Road, which was later confirmed to contain material stripped from inside the centre.