'We removed walls and found heads, arm and bodies'
A regeneration project leader has been describing how workers removing a wall found heads, legs and bodies - of mannequins.The scheme involves the demolition of Northampton's BHS and Marks & Spencer stores as well as a job centre, to be replaced with housing, shops and leisure facilities. The inside of the structures has now been cleared of trading equipment ready for the excavators to move in.The project leader, Wendy Thompson, from West Northamptonshire Council, said the process was "a complicated jigsaw".
Northampton lost two of its major stores on Abington Street when BHS closed in 2016 and M&S followed two years later.The two companies accounted for about 150,00 sq ft (13,935 sq m) of retail space.Ms Thompson, West Northamptonshire Council's head of major projects, said the process of acquiring the buildings and clearing them ready for demolition was "a long journey". "It's such a complicated jigsaw bringing a site to this stage, ready for the deconstruction works to start," she said.
She added: "There were rooms that were full of racking. We were taking down walls and finding heads and arms and bodies of mannequins."To prepare for demolition, you have to remove the electrics, the water and the gas supplies. We've had to remove two sub-stations from the site."Once the buildings have gone, the site will be turned into flats with some shops and leisure facilities on the ground floor.
Mark Fenning and his team from Colemans demolition will now be taking over to begin the task of clearing the structures. He said: "Initially, we'll have robotic demolition, quite small, and they're going to be brought in from the service deck. They'll do all the delicate work around the live structures."That part of the process will be followed by heavy excavators. "We'll then be making our way sequentially through the structure, segregating materials as we go," he added. Substances like hardcore and brick will be crushed on site and used in the construction project.
'Potential'
Asbestos is present in the buildings so that has to be dealt with according to strict rules.Another challenge will be the presence, next to the old BHS store, of a functioning mobile phone shop. Mr Fenning added: "We have to make sure that we get the propping in place [there] to support the structure while we're doing the demolition work."The council said this phase of the project was scheduled for completion in early 2026, and would "unlock the potential of the town centre".
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