Derelict factory demolition gets under way
BBCDemolition work has started on two former factory buildings in Stoke-on-Trent, described by an MP as an "eyesore" and for years deemed in danger of collapse.
Permission was granted this summer to knock down Etruria's Old Twyford Buildings, which form part of the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone along the A500.
The derelict site has housed large amounts of industrial material and was hit by a large fire 14 years ago. Stoke-on-Trent MP Gareth Snell has previously said the state of the site had "soured negotiations" for investment in the city.
Granting permission for the demolition, the council said the work would be carried out in phases to minimise the impact on the surrounding area.
In a report to officials, council officer Dave Clarke said: "The buildings have been vacant for many years and are in a visibly poor state of repair, with deteriorating brickwork, boarded or broken windows, and general signs of long term neglect."
The application to knock the building down was submitted by WS Storage Solutions Limited.
Production on Garner Street site by Twyford Bathrooms was wound up in 1990, and all manufacturing and warehousing was moved to the company's Alsager factory, according to a history blog about the firm.
Authorities have been working to invest in infrastructure and remediation of brownfield land around the site to ensure the enterprise zone area can be redeveloped.
Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke in July Jo Gideon, former MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said it was the "biggest environmental challenge" she faced during her time representing the area, between 2019 until 2024.
She said until 2022, the building was stuffed full of industrial material in huge bales, with holes cut into the concrete in order to pack them in, although nobody really knew what they contained.
The building was liable to collapse at any point and the fire service had used drones with temperature-checking equipment to regularly monitor the site.
Welcoming the green light being given for demolition in the summer, Snell said clearance of the site had taken too long and the building "had been an eyesore on our city for too long".
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