Bulldozers to move in on unused and ‘dangerous’ council buildings
Plans to demolish “redundant” and potentially “dangerous” buildings at a council depot site have been given the green light by city development chiefs.
Earlier this year, Sunderland City Council submitted an application to its own planning department for its depot at Market Place Industrial Estate in the Houghton area.
The site is described as a council waste management depot,consistingofwastestorage areas, offices, garages and workshops.
Demolition plans for the site included clearing a central block consisting of three single-storey warehouses and a single-storey toilet block.
The buildings sit opposite the depot’s main entrance at Gravel Walks and according to council planning documents, are “isolated by the site’s internal one way road system”.
A planning application from local authority officials confirmed demolition was being proposed on “the grounds of economy and health and safety”.
The planning application said: “The buildings have exceeded their useful economic lifespan, they are now redundant, in a very poor state of repair, are structurally deteriorating and are now posing a danger to the council site operators, council staff, visitors and the general public”.
After considering the demolition application, plans were given the stamp of approval.
A council decision report noted the site would be “fully isolatedandsegregatedtoform
an independent compound/ demolition site”.
It was also noted that the demolitionwouldbeincompliance with “wildlife legislation and surveying requirements”.
The council decision report adds: “A detailed method statementhasbeensubmitted in support of the application.
“[It] states that an ecology survey has been undertaken and all statutory notifications, duties and information have been submitted and forwarded to the relative parties and that ‘all demolition works will be carried out with due regards to all ecology/wildlife legislation, survey mitigation requirements, in particular bats, nesting birds and protected species’.”
Proposed demolition work includes taking the buildings downto‘groundfloorslablevel’ and clearing the site of all materials and debris.
Projectbossesareexpected to start demolition this month and to finish work by the end of April.