Work begins to clear 20,000 tonnes of waste
Work to clear 20,000 tonnes of rubbish from the former fire-hit Alex Smiles site has begun.
The clean-up, which will last 12 weeks, will help transform the land in Deptford, scene of a major fire back in May 2018, before crane manufacturer Liebherr expands its operation on to the site.
The site has been closed since Alex Smiles went into administration in 2015, leaving around 20,000 tonnes of waste on site.
The fire in 2018 took around three weeks to extinguish.
Sunderland City Council took possession of the land in December.
Once the 20,000 tonnes of mixed waste and restore is cleared, the site will be leased to Liebherr which is expanding its Sunderland base and which employs 200 people.
The company is part funding the clearance of the site.
Council Leader, Coun Graeme Miller, said: "Without council intervention this abandoned waste site would have continued to be a fire risk and a liability for both residents and the City Council.
"Acquiring it has allowed the council to bring a strategically important employment site which otherwise could have stood empty for decades and posed significant risks back into use.”
The council will work with the contractor Acumen
Waste and the Environment Agency to reduce the risk of any impact on neighbouring homes and businesses during the clean-up.This may include an increase in odours and dust and possible sightings of vermin as waste is uncovered and removed from the site. It will be taken to a permitted waste facility in Tees Valley for disposal.