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An excavator has been moved onto the Corn Exchange site in
preparation for the start of the demolition of the building on
Monday (24 August 2009.)
The
demolition marks a significant step in the works to breathe new life
into the city centre. Connell Brothers, an award-winning
Salford-based specialist demolition company, has been employed by
Peterborough City Council to carry out the work. City-based
consulting engineers, Stirling Maynard, have been engaged to project
manage the demolition.
The
excavator has a hydraulic breaker on its arm which is used to crush
concrete and during this first phase of the demolition, the focus
will be on breaking down the front corner of the former Post Office.
This work is expected to take about a week.
During the
second phase of demolition work, scaffolding will be put up on the
building's main tower, and a breaker unit will be craned onto the
roof which will break down the building floor by floor. The
excavator with hydraulic crusher will be used to complete the final
phase of the demolition. By mid-November 2009, the Corn Exchange
building will be completely demolished.
Councillor
David Seaton, cabinet member for resources, said: "The start of work
to demolish the Corn Exchange building is a major step towards
creating a safe, vibrant and accessible city centre which the people
of Peterborough can be proud of, and which offers a more diverse and
improved choice of places to visit and enjoy."
Andrew
Edwards, the city council's head of strategic property, said:
"Demolishing the Corn Exchange building is a key element of the work
currently being carried out to regenerate the city centre, and is in
fact happening a week ahead of schedule.
"The
location of the Corn Exchange building means this is a technically
challenging demolition in the heart of Peterborough. Of greatest
importance is that the work takes place with minimum disruption to
surrounding businesses and that it is done in a safe manner."
Steve
Bowyer, director of strategic growth at Opportunity Peterborough,
also welcomed the commencement of the work. He added: “The Corn
Exchange area has always been a key component of bringing forward an
exciting plaza at the centre of Peterborough. The building has long
been recognised as a blot on the cityscape and its demolition is a
major step forward for St John’s church, the square, and the city as
a whole.”
A new
square will be created on the Corn Exchange site - to be named St
John's Square - with the area between the new square and Cathedral
Square paved to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Nearby St John’s
Church will be opened up with the removal of the surrounding
railings and introduction of dramatic lighting at night.
The
regeneration of the city centre is one element of the council's
public realm strategy, a package of measures aiming to make
Peterborough a safe, attractive and environmentally friendly city
and a better place to live and work.
August 2009 -
Peterborough UK Community Website
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