The demolition of two tower blocks in Newcastle’s East End has been delayed once more, after thieves broke into the empty buildings.
Titan House and Hexham House are set to remain part of the Walker skyline for some months to come after the latest setback in efforts to tear them down. Newcastle City Council has planned to demolish the two 16-storey towers for several years and wants to redevelop the land for a new housing estate.
It was originally hoped the blocks would be removed and 50 affordable homes built in their place by the spring of 2021, but repeated delays mean that both are still standing. Civic centre officials say that work to remove asbestos from the site has been “made more challenging” after a gang of thieves broke in to steal copper piping.
Read More: First look at skyscraping 37-storey building which is set to become Tyneside's tallest tower
Hexham House’s demolition is now due to run from July to October, before contractors Thompsons move over to Titan House to complete the works. The council previously said last October that it expected the demolitions to be completed in autumn 2022.
A council spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday: “Titan House and Hexham House were handed over to the appointed demolition contractor in February. Material containing asbestos is now being removed before demolition begins. This was made more challenging due to thieves breaking into the secured buildings to steal copper piping.
“Nibbling machines will then be moved on site to demolish Hexham House from July before moving on to Titan House from October. Once both have been cleared, foundations will be removed, and the site regraded in preparation for new homes for sale and rent. A traffic management plan will be put in place around the site to manage vehicles transporting waste and ensure pedestrians have safe routes around the shopping centre.”
In 2018, some of their few remaining tenants of the two blocks claimed that the buildings were being used as drug dens and had become full of “troublemakers”. All Your Homes Newcastle tenants who were living at the Walker towers have now been moved.
There are also plans for a wider regeneration of the area which will also see the Church Walk Shopping Centre bulldozed and new shops opening on the site of the former Rathbone Centre. The council added: “Work is also under way to create new shop units at the base of Churchwalk House.
"A planning application has been submitted for the erection of three additional shops on adjacent land. Once these have been completed, in early 2023, the existing shopping centre will be demolished and redeveloped.”
