Demolition starts on tower blocks

Work to flatten two eyesore tower blocks in Wolverhampton is now finally under way, ending a long campaign to see them erased from the skyline.

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A 67-ton excavator has now moved onto Dale Street in Graiseley to demolish eight-storey Grange Court. The work is expected to take three or four weeks, when a road closure will be put in place and the demolition of Wulfruna Court will begin. The project marks the start of a transformation of the area after Tesco won a high court bid to build a store on nearby Raglan Street.

Matt Sprayson, manager of the project for contractors dsm said today: "Work on the project is going very well.

"Before demolition we removed all the asbestos which we are licenced to do and all the wood."

Dale Street will be closed for six weeks at a point during the demolition but residents will be issued with special permits to allow them to park there during the project.

Demolition work is planned to take place between 8am and 5pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Traffic wardens will be asked to keep a watch on vehicles being left in Dale Street to ensure that they have the required permit.

Construction bosses said permit holders on Dale Street will be able to have their car washed if there are any problems with dust.

The move to knock down the blocks has been welcomed by residents who branded the flats, which date back to the 1950s, an eyesore after they became targeted by vandals, drug users and vagrants.

The blocks have stood virtually empty for a number of years and the decision to knock them down was made because they are no longer suitable for current housing needs.

No plans have yet been drawn up for the land. Some have called for the site to be used for car parking once work to knock them down is finished.nextpagenextpagenextpage