Advertisement

IMAX site 'will be ready'

Bournemouth Council says the former Imax site will be ready for its grand opening tomorrow night.

View all 7 updates ›

13,500 tonnes of IMAX waste to be removed

The demolition started from the top of the IMAX Credit: Bournemouth Council

Councillor John Beesley, Leader of the Council, said: “This is a historic moment for Bournemouth. Our residents have been telling us for years that they hate the building and would like to see the sea views restored and so I am delighted that we are now in a position to fulfill these wishes.”

Heavy demolition equipment with a huge extendable arm in action Credit: Bournemouth Council

The Waterfront building will be carefully dismantled from the outside over the next two months and by the end of March the building will finally be gone. Around 98 per cent of the building will be recycled, much of it locally.

In total 13,500 tonnes of building waste will be removed from site, including 3,000 tonnes of steel and 8,000 tonnes of concrete. 500 tonnes of waste has already been removed from the basement.

The demolition continues Credit: Bournemouth Council

Contractors will work from the west elevation moving eastwards, which will result in the main entrance being the first section to be demolished. Two mechanical excavators will work in tandem to shear steel and remove sections bay by bay. You can watch the demolition live on webcam here.

More top news