Long awaited demolition of Preston tower blocks to begin
Onward Homes’ plans to demolish three ageing tower blocks in Preston will formally get underway this month, following the appointment of a specialist demolition contractor.
After supporting residents to find another home over the last two years, followed by a competitive tender exercise, Onward has now appointed Rhodar to demolish Richmond House, Carlisle House and Lincoln House in Avenham.
The three 1960s towers have been earmarked for demolition since 2022, following a consultation with the local community on a range of potential solutions to improve the quality of housing in Avenham.
In consultation with residents and local partners, Onward made a decision to replace its Avenham high-rise towers with a more diverse mix of modern homes on the same site, which required the dismantling of the existing towers once all residents had been rehoused.
Sandy Livingstone, Executive Director of Property at Onward, said:
“Since making the considered decision to replace our Avenham towers with homes that better reflect local demand, we have taken time and care to support all affected customers in finding alternative housing that meets their individual needs. We appreciate the patience of our customers, and the support of local partners in helping us to get this right.
“We are now pleased to be able to move forward with the demolition of Richmond House, closely followed by Carlisle House and Lincoln House, as we prepare to provide a better standard and broader choice of Avenham homes in the future. The experience of Rhodar will be invaluable as we aim to minimise any local disruption during the demolition phase.”
Tony Clarke, Contracts Director at Rhodar, said:
“Rhodar is delighted to be leading the demolition of the Avenham towers in partnership with Onward Homes. Our proven track record in delivering complex schemes within constrained urban environments was fundamental to the award of this project. The works will see the safe dismantling of the 3 towers, ground remediation and the delivery of a development-ready platform to support the site’s future phases.
“As a business, we’re also keen to contribute to the communities in which we live and work, and we’re looking forward to supporting a range of initiatives as part of the project delivery, as we help reshape the Avenham skyline for the benefit of future generations.”
Rhodar will commence initial site work at Richmond House later this month, before moving onto Carlisle House, Lincoln House and an Onward neighbourhood office. The entire demolition process, which will see the towers gradually dismantled from the top floors, is expected to last around 15 months. Alongside this Onward is working on plans for the redevelopment of the site and is aiming to submit a planning application later this year.
Onward owns or manages around 1,100 homes in Preston, 700 in Avenham, with planning consent to build up to 380 new homes at the derelict Horrocks Mill site nearby.