A former car park at a city industrial estate needs to be demolished because it is in unsafe, according to the council.
Worcestershire County Council said the patch of concrete behind the listed Engine Works in Shrub Hill needs to be knocked down “immediately” because it is unsafe and “beyond repair.”
The county council said it does not yet know what it plans to do with the 420 square metre plot of land as it is still working on a strategy to transform the entire run-down Shrub Hill area in the coming years.
The area under the historic former Vulcan Ironworks has been gated off for years and would remain closed off once demolition was complete.
A statement included with the application by the county council said: “As the demolition is required due to the structure being unsafe and as the proposals to develop the northern side of the Shrub Hill area are still in their infancy, no definite proposed future use has been envisaged at this time.
“As of yet, no final layout has been designed.
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“The existing layout will be retained once the demolition material has been removed.
“The area will be cleared with the existing retaining walls made good and a new semi-permanent fence line erected until the future use of the area is decided.”
The demolition would require the closure of the busy Tolladine Road to carry out.
“It is envisaged that the access to the site for the demolition plant will be obtained via the overnight closure of the Tolladine Road,” the council said. “Whilst the works are taking place there may be a requirement for a lane closure at certain stages.
“Finally, once the works are complete the demolition plant will be removed in another overnight closure of Tolladine Road.”
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At the start of the year, the multi-million-pound plans to bring the neglected Engine Works back to life were thrown into doubt after the government turned down the city’s £20 million bid for levelling up money.
The former grade II-listed Engine Works in Shrub Hill Road in Worcester would have been transformed into “landmark” offices and creative workshop space.
Worcester City Council’s plans for the 7,000 square metre building, which is more than 150 years old and said to be in a “very poor state of repair,” would also have seen its leaky roof replaced.
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