The nursing home on the grounds of St Vincent's Hospital has now been knocked down. The building finally succumbed to the efforts of the company carrying out the demolition work shortly before 9.45pm today. The first attempt to demolish the structure failed, leaving the thirteen-storey building tilting to one side. A hospital spokesman said at the time that there had been no danger to patients housed nearby.
All the charges went off this morning but a spokesman for the demolition company said that the structure had been stronger than was thought. It had been expected that the work would not be completed for another two days. The structure, built in the 1970’s, is being torn down as part of a £170m redevelopment programme.
The hospital applied in 1998 for planning permission to redevelop the site. It is to be replaced with a five-storey hospital building, comprised of a range of facilities including an accident and emergency department, intensive-care unit, breast-check unit and a car park. Work on the site is to begin in March.
According to the website for the demolition company: "Demolition is the last thing on our minds. First we think about method and risk. We calculate. Forecast. We think about debris, security, residents, pets. We work hand-in-hand with structural engineers, safety officers and environmental agencies. Our planning is meticulous, only when it is complete does demolition take place. Precision demolition is a science.”
