Demolition hails end to eyesore

Residents surrounding the old St John of God Hospital eyesore celebrated when the top floor of the derelict building began to fall last week as the demolition entered its final stage.

Picture by David Bailey

The building was stripped of glass and steel in the past few months, however the building’s demolition was delayed after asbestos was discovered and had to be safely removed.

The owners of the building said the demolitionwas expected to be completed by mid-February.

Neighbouring resident Sherylee Robinson has lived in the area for six years and said she was ‘‘very excited’’ to see the building start to come down.

‘‘It’s been an ugly eyesore for a long time and it’s good to see the demolition happening,’’ Ms Robinson said.

‘‘With the library and cathedral all new the hospital is the last thing they need to fix to make this part of the town look good.’’

Rather than imploding or wrecking the former hospital, the building will be deconstructed level by level and the contractors will salvage and recycle as much material as possible.

The concrete will be crushed and re-used in a number of ways such as road base.

The council has put conditions on the demolition licence to safeguard the amenity of surrounding houses and businesses.

Other conditions include noise and traffic management plans, control of dust and timerestricted working hours.

Following the demolition the land will be graded, compacted, stabilised and landscaped so it does not create dust and will likely be turned into a parkin