DSR Demolition worked for Together Housing to demolish five housing blocks and two bungalows in Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire set on a steep hillside. 

The site was surrounded by inhabited homes, a busy church and a main route through the town. We liaised with the residents of the area regarding road access and protection their properties, as well as Northern Powergrid who owned a substation site directly beside one of the tower blocks. 

Early in the project, we allowed access for a BBC film crew who required space in one of the tower blocks to record for The League of Gentleman. During this time we also removed a crop of Japanese knotweed covering a large area of the hillside behind one of the blocks.

The nearest properties and the substation were protected using a custom scaffold system incorporating crash decks to prevent damage during the high reach elements of the works. A scaffold system also covered a public right of way which ran directly past one of the tower blocks and had to be kept available for public use.

Several road closures were also put into effect early on Sunday mornings throughout the project to provide an ample buffer space around the tower blocks close to the main road. This involved setting up a diversion route suitable for HGVs which was challenging because of the limited access options in the area, it being hilly with several hair pins bends in the roads. We handled all of the traffic management and diversion routes in house, accommodating the local busy periods in the run-up to Christmas. 

We also liaised with the nearby church regarding their memorial services and Christmas events, to avoid creating noise and disturbance when they needed a peaceful environment.

The project involved asbestos removal at high level on the upper soffits of the tower blocks. Our asbestos removal team conducted this work from scaffolding under semi-controlled conditions while under the watch of the client’s asbestos consultant.

Throughout the project we managed the water supply and disconnections of electricity and gas entering the site. The water supply in particular was not well mapped in the area and we discovered unregulated supplies, leaks and additional pipework during the course of our works. We noted down the locations of all such apparatus and worked with the project management consultant to provide this information to the construction company due on site following our works.

On completion we levelled off the site to a suitable safe gradient ready for the construction company to take over development.