The inaugural meeting of the Demolition Contractors’ Association took place in Cumbernauld this week, bringing together the representatives of 20 specialist demolition contractors from across Scotland.
The new association has been set up under the auspices of the Scottish Building Federation (SBF), and not as a regional branch of the UK-wide National Federation of Demolition Contractors, of which many Scottish demolition companies are already members.
The Demolition Contractors’ Association (DCA) is chaired by James Caldwell Jr of Glasgow-based JCJ Demolition & Construction, which is also currently listed as a member of the NFDC.
James Caldwell and SBF chief executive Vaughan Hart have jointly written to a number of key decision-makers seeking early meetings to discuss the aims of the new association in greater detail.
The launch of the Demolition Contractors’ Association follows recent announcements about the planned mass demolition of high rise buildings, notably a commitment by North Lanarkshire Council to demolish around 4,000 tower block homes to make way for lower rise accommodation over the next two decades.
Mr Caldwell said: “There are many popular misconceptions about the demolition sector. In reality, it is a sector that consistently adheres to the highest standards of health and safety and professional practice while also offering excellent long term career prospects. With an ongoing drive to modernise Scotland’s building stock and as an integral part of the wider Scottish construction industry, there can be no doubt that the demolition sector will have a crucial role to play in the years ahead in developing a built environment in Scotland that is fit for the future. Set in that context, there has never been a more important time for the Scottish demolition sector to make its voice heard.”
A spokesman for the DCA later added: "There is no attempt being made here to usurp NFDC. Rather, there has been a growing feeling within the Scottish demolition sector of the need for a specific Scottish association to address the specific issues the sector faces north of the border.
"In addition, by setting the DCA up under the auspices of the SBF, members will have access to a range of additional services (HR, legal, contractual, procurement advice etc) that NFDC is unable to offer. It also gives members a platform to shape the position of the wider SBF in relation to issues that equally affect the Scottish demolition sector and the Scottish construction industry as a whole - particularly in key areas of devolved policy such as planning, skills and procurement."
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