Demolitions

Birmingham’s new city centre station location relies on a rail route through a historically industrial part of the West Midlands with associated demolition of buildings and structures along the route alignment. HS2 have worked with businesses and homeowners to try and minimise the impact. The majority of demolitions in Birmingham are low level industrial buildings close to the Network Rail links into Birmingham New Street station.

Over the next two years, commencing in 2018, pre-demolition site surveys followed by demolition will take place.

HS2 will be demolishing a number of structures within Birmingham, the buildings that will be affected include:

· Castle Bromwich Business Park,

· Bromford,

· Washwood Heath,

· Saltley & Network Business parks,

· Duddeston, and

· Various buildings near Curzon Street – including the Fox and Grapes Public House & the UNITE student accommodation building.

The buildings that will be demolished are predominately industrial and warehousing units, but also includes residential properties around the depot area.

The demolition work is being planned and managed by HS2 Ltd, but the demolition is being undertaken by specialist contractors. Our Enabling Works Contractor LMJV will conduct the pre-demolition site surveys.

Pre-demolition planning will identify the environmental conditions and any health and safety matters the contractor needs to have in place before work takes place on each of the sites. Mitigation factors will include the management and control of falling and hazardous materials, traffic management, and control of dust, noise and vibration.

The first stages of demolition include the removal of hazardous materials followed by stripping the structure back to its integral parts. When the structural frame is exposed, final checks are undertaken to confirm pre-demolition survey findings. Structures within the Birmingham Spur will generally be demolished using bespoke, carefully selected demolition machines appropriate for each structural element being demolished. There is a wide variety of machinery available, from a ‘high reach’ machine that can work up to 65m high to an ‘umbilical cord’ remotely operated small machine that can use its track to climb stairs within a building. Attachments to the machine arms enable concrete to be crushed, steel to be sheared or debris to be sorted. All demolition waste is sorted and re-cycled wherever possible with a recycling target of over 90%.

If you have any questions or comments please contact HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk or call 08081 434 434 and refer to "HS2 in Birmingham".