A plume of smoke, and it's gone: Latest demolition at Ironbridge Power Station goes ahead
Now you see it, now you don't: the latest demolition at the former Ironbridge Power Station took place yesterday watched by former workers, the local community and keen photographers.
The Boiler Bay building on the site was taken down in just a few minutes, collapsing perfectly into itself in the explosion.
Harworth Group, which owns the site and is clearing it ahead of proposals to redevelop it with around 1,000 homes, had warned people living nearby to stay indoors or keep away if they had respiratory problems because of the dust from the demolition.
It had also said that the demolition - termed a blowdown - could be postponed if there were adverse weather conditions.
But the day, with hardly any wind, proved perfect for the specialist demolition team.
A 250-metre exclusion zone was put up before, during and after the explosion to protect everyone on site and in the local area.
A spokesman for the site owners said: "Harworth’s principal concern was to bring the Boiler Bay down safely, in full compliance with Covid-19 restrictions and the Section 81 notice issued by Shropshire Council for this purpose."
However scores of people found vantage points further away to watch the spectacle including Paul Sloane from Aquaduct who worked at the power station for 11 years. Some even climbed to the top of the Wrekin to see the demolition from afar.
The power station's four cooling towers, which were a major landmark in the landscape, were brought down in 2019.
The site, which sits mainly in Shropshire, is to become a major new housing and community development, part of the county's strategy for housebuilding for the future.
