Goodyear closure: Demolition of Wolverhampton plant delayed again
Demolition of Wolverhampton's remaining Goodyear plant has been pushed back as the firm decide with developers what should be left standing.
Goodyear, which remains based at Bushbury Lane in the city, officially closed its doors in January this year.
Since then, only 33 staff remained to help clear the site with this reduced to just 15 earlier this month.
The plant had been due to close on July 1 then July 20 as developers St Modwen submitted plans to take over the land.
Now, closure and demolition of the site has been halted again. Remaining workers were told about the delay on Tuesday.
This is because Goodyear need to decide what to demolish and what to leave standing.
Cyril Barrett, chair of the Unite branch at Goodyear said on Wednesday: "The demolition has been pushed back.
"Workers were told yesterday. Goodyear have got to decide how they are going to do it and what the implications will be."
The eventual demolition of the remaining Goodyear buildings will be the start of the development of the site.
More than 200 homes could be built at the site by developers St Modwen, who have submitted plans.
Mr Barrett said: "This delay is unacceptable.
"It just means that staff did not have to leave so early on. They could have stayed and maintained their livelihoods.
"I think the land should be kept the way it is, as employment land for the people of the city to secure future jobs."
Peter Rudd, development director at St. Modwen, said: “At their request, Goodyear will now vacate the site on 31 August 2017 rather than this month.
"As a consequence the start of the demolition will be delayed until September.”
Previously, Wolverhampton council had hit out at developers after they submitted plans suggesting that the best use of the site was more homes.
The site was once the European headquarters for the US tyre giant, occupying a half-mile stretch of Stafford Road and making tyres for cars, trucks, tractors and Formula 1 racing cars.
Workers marked the end of an era in December as the last order was met at the huge plant in Bushbury Lane and they walked out of the gates for the final time.
