MUCH OF a Droylsden landmark building will be torn down after planning permission was granted.
And the work on the Concord Suite is deemed necessary because it would cost three times more money to refurbish it.
The upper floors of the Villemomble Square structure, which has been vacant for 11 years, will be taken down by hand in a project lasting up to 15 months.
A meeting of Tameside Council’s Speaker’s Panel (Planning) committee on Wednesday, October 14 heard the first three to six will be spent removing asbestos from the property, which will be done internally and bagged before being transported.
Utilities will then be terminated, taking at least three months, before a six-month process of bringing the upper floors down.
Telecommunications masts on the top will be taken down and moved to two sites, which have been given the OK by companies.
Ben Middleton, Tameside Council’s assistant director of strategic property, spelled out in no uncertain terms: “It’s riddled with asbestos, all the services and plant are life expired. The floor loading is insufficient for modern office use.
“The configuration and floor area, in terms of gross area, doesn’t work for offices, residential or a hotel.
“Spending money on it is, brutally, dead money. We’re having to pay to occupy building – business rates, insurance, electricity – and the council’s under a considerable amount of pressure with revenue costs
“At the moment, the most economical and prudent way to go forward is to remove the building and work with the occupiers to create a masterplan over re-use of the site long-term.
“We can’t leave it there forever to keep on deteriorating. If we spent a lot of money – three times the cost of demolition – to refurbish a building we cannot use for any purpose, it seems like a poor waste of public money.
“So it’s a question of grasping the nettle now and bringing it down to remove that liability.
“It needs redeveloping comprehensively and we’ll be able to work with all relevant parties locally to get the right scheme for the long-term. It’s time to start afresh.”
Agent for the application, Suzanne Asher, added: “It’s restricted servicing arrangements, limited headroom and relationship with the surrounding shopping centre bring significant restraints on its adaptability for modern use.
“Refurbishment would require substantial structural intervention. Partial demolition is a proportionate response.
“It’s a deliverable response to a long-term vacant, deteriorating and difficult to use building. It addresses the site’s immediate condition, while maintaining flexibility over the form of its future development.”
Councillors, both from Reform UK and Independent Cllr Vincent Ricci, expressed concern over why the building was only being partially demolished.
A request for the cost of the scheme was also unanswered as it was deemed confidential for commercial reasons – but the hearing heard the budget is ‘considerably less’ than it would be for refurbishment.
Cllr Jake Frater questioned how it was allowed to get into such a condition and fears over disruption to business occupying units in the surrounding shopping centre were also aired.
But Mr Middleton ‘guaranteed’ all will be met regularly during the demolition process and no scaffolding will obstruct firms’ doors or windows.
And when complete, the entire area will be covered by a flat roof with a lifespan of at least 15-20 years, by which time the Droylsden Town Centre Masterplan may be in full swing.
A total of 33 objections were received and Bill Davidson, speaking for the neighbouring Droylsden Shopping Centre’s owner New Era Properties’ head Patrick Kerr, spoke against as there is no plan for what will become of the ground floor.
He said: “New Era has a long leasehold interest, until 2191, including the ground floor retail units directly affected by this proposal and wider freehold interests in the town centre.
“It has been an advocate for the regeneration of Droylsden since investing in the town in 2018.
“Its long-term vacancy decline has stifled the ability to attract tenants to the wider town centre that might otherwise have helped strengthen its vitality and viability, but the partial demolition as proposed by this application will be a backward step.
“Among the many objections submitted, you will be aware of the real and significant concerns expressed by affected traders as it is their livelihoods that are on the line without clarity about future proposals.
“It will subject retailers to significant disruption for at least a year, risking livelihoods in what is already a challenging market.
“Critically, because there are no proposals for the new development being considered, the tenants will then be left in limbo for an unspecified period.
“Committing the town centre to a state of limbo in an unspecified time would therefore be a backward step, and it’s not justified. It is putting the cart before the horse.”
However, all 11 panel members present, spanning four political groups, voted in favour of the proposal.