Asbestos removal at former Quayside

Jason Croft, managing director of long-established asbestos removal specialists AC Ltd, said that about 100 tonnes of the material is in the building.

A lot of this is in the form of corrugated roofing panels and these are being removed first.

Work started on 17 October, with Bob Froome and Son Ltd staff taking down the ceiling tiles to allow AC to access the roof.

‘The roof’s not safe and they [site owners] want to get it down before the winter,’ said joint-managing director Roger Froome.

‘It’s already starting to collapse in places.’

Asbestos-containing materials were found after a survey of the site, which has stood unused since Quayside closed in 2014.

The roof panels contain the dangerous mineral bonded into the cement and these are being taken down by hand by workers wearing protective masks and clothing.

But Mr Croft said that other examples of asbestos on the site will require more stringent methods with the workers having to have breathing apparatus and work inside a containment tent.

‘The partial collapse of the roof in some areas has been a complication and has needed controlled demolition,’ he said.

All of the waste is put into containers and taken to Mont Cuet.

It is only the roof that is being removed, said Mr Froome, and after the work is done the walls will be left standing: ‘It’ll be one big empty space,’ he said.

The work is expected to take about 10 weeks, weather permitting, and Mr Croft said that if it is too windy work on the roof would have to be stopped temporarily. No plans are currently in train for any development on the site.

An application was made in 2016 to demolish the building and erect three retail units.

This was granted, but the work was never carried out and the permission lapsed.

‘There’s nothing planned at the moment but we’re still assessing different options for the site,’ said Adrian Norman of site owners North Quay Holdings.