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Demolition firm brings down old GCHQ

27 Jan 15 Demolition specialist Lawson Group is turning the former GCHQ building in Cheltenham to rubble to clear the way for a housing development.

A Cat 374DL brings down the old GCHQ building in Cheltenham
A Cat 374DL brings down the old GCHQ building in Cheltenham

Lawson is using a fleet of Cat machines purchased specifically for the job.

GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters – is the nerve centre of British intelligence gathering. Originally based at Bletchley Park, it moved to Cheltenham’s site during the Cold War.

GCHQ is now based across town at the Benhall Cheltenham site in a huge building nicknamed ‘The Doughnut’. The former Oakley Park campus, comprising more than 30 buildings, has been vacant since 2004.

Lawson’s new machines include a Cat 374DL, two Cat 336ELs and an MP30 work tool. It has also had an existing Cat 365CL excavator refurbished with a new engine.  These are joined onsite by two Cat 323DL excavators and a Cat 962H wheel loader from Lawson’s fleet.

The lead Cat 374DL excavator, complete with a 3.8m3 heavily modified bucket, is being used to rip apart a vast network of reinforced concrete tunnels and data cabling.

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Managing director Martin Wilson said: “This is a particularly challenging project, as it was not the above ground buildings we had to worry about; it was what awaited us below the ground. This is why we opted to add the Cat 374DL to our fleet, as we required a really powerful piece of equipment to cope with this and additional secured work.

“With our new additions, we have now grown our Caterpillar fleet to 14 units, strengthening our capabilities to offer customers not just demolition services, but complete site remediation, including material re-handling and recycling. We now have an 11 year ongoing relationship with Finning and Caterpillar and with sustainability now so important in our industry, it is vital that our suppliers become an integral part of our business.”

As part of the deal Lawson Group has also opted for the Finsight monitoring service from Cat dealer Finning. A team of Finsight engineers at the Finning head office in Cannock monitor the health and performance of the fleet, alerting the Lawson team to any potential maintenance requirements.

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