Demolition work starts as part of £30m revamp of Wolverhampton's former eye infirmary
Demolition work has begun on a crumbling former NHS building in Wolverhampton which has been left vacant for 16 years.
The former eye infirmary in Chapel Ash had been dubbed a "blight on the city", but will now be regenerated as part of a £30 million project.
The site is now being transformed into 75 new luxury apartments and a healthcare development, including a special educational needs school and an eating disorder clinic,
Home to three locally listed buildings, the site was abandoned by the NHS in 2007, since attracting multiple incidents of anti-social behaviour such as arson and assault.
In 2013, three men had to be rescued after a fire in the building that saw around 30 firefighters called to tackle the blaze.
But after years of delays, an important milestone has been reached with the beginning of the demolition work, marking a significant step towards the transformation of this historic site.
Under proposals signed off by council planners, the School of Nursing, a public toilet block, and the Outpatients and Accident and Emergency building from 1937 are all set to be torn down, along with storage buildings and other outbuildings.
Two of the listed buildings, the original tower block from 1888 and the 1928 Nurses' Home building, will be restored to their former glory. However, the Outpatients and A&E building will be demolished as it has been deemed structurally unsafe.
The site has already been cleared of asbestos, but Japanese Knotweed will now be removed in order to start ground works.
The next phase will see the redevelopment of the former nurse’s home and an extension to create the eating disorder clinic, along with the construction of the SEN school.
