The campus was home to students for 25 years before the university moved to its new £330m Waterside Campus on the Avon Nunn Mills site alongside the River Nene.
Leeds based Demolition Services Ltd (DSL) will be taking down more than 35 buildings, including the Pitchley Building and John Clare Hall, although the current student residences, which continue to house more than 800 students, will remain in place.
DSL health and safety manager Charlene Murray said: “We are very aware that students are living within the immediate vicinity while demolition works and site clearance are taking place. We have planned very thoroughly to minimise noise and disruption as much as possible to ensure we respect people living and working in the area.”
After asbestos removal and stripping out work has taken place, the demolition work will be carried out using a combination of 30- and 40-tonne excavators with low noise and vibration levels. The resulting aggregate materials will be recycled, with the concrete crushed on site and re-used to level the area and leave it clean and uncontaminated.
The demolition work, which is expected to take a year to complete, is paving the way for Persimmon Homes’ Scholars Green development of more than 675 family homes, including social housing.
Persimmon Homes Midlands regional managing director Simon McDonald said: “Meticulous preparation of this large site has been key to the successful development of much-needed new homes and amenities, so we are pleased to be working along DSL in this important phase of the project.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
