THE HISTORIC Sansome Walk swimming pool could finally demolished by next autumn under plans which will be considered by city council chiefs.
Work at the site has been delayed after surveys showed a greater level of asbestos was present than had previously been revealed.
Council officers have worked with specialists to reappraise the process for demolishing the building. Their proposals will be presented for approval to the Policy and Resources Committee on Wednesday (July 31).
A £750,000 Government grant has already been awarded to the council to support the demolition work and councillors will be asked to allocate an extra £832,000 towards the work at the meeting.
If supported, the demolition work is expected to begin in February 2020 and last until October that year. Additional work will follow to put the site into a suitable condition for future development.
Council chiefs have pledged to give regular updates to neighbouring residents and businesses throughout the process and will arrange a public meeting in September to discuss the demolition.
Andrew Round, Worcester City Council’s Director of Place, said: “The biggest priority in this project is the health and safety of both residents and the contractors who will be working at the site.
“The proposals we are making to councillors make it clear that the preparation and management of the demolition process will have full regard of the safety of residents and comply with the very strict regulations that exist for this type of work.”
Following its closure in December 2016, the Sansome Walk site was made safe and secure to avoid any risk of unauthorised people entering it.
Surveys were carried out in 2017 to confirm the extent of asbestos in the building before the demolition work was put out to tender. However, last September additional surveys found more asbestos than had been expected.
An update was given to residents at the time and the demolition plans were put on hold while further investigation was carried out.
Committee members on the Policy and Resources Committee will now be asked to agree to a new bid to appoint a contractor who will carry out the demolition work for a project expected to take 34 weeks.
The building is likely to be completely covered by ‘wrapped scaffolding’ during the demolition process in order to protect the public and air quality will be monitored both inside and outside by an accredited independent analysist.
