ASBESTOS does not pose a threat at the former Bury Police Station, its owners have said.
Bulldozers have moved onto the land around the former Bury Police headquarters, which is being demolished.
The asbestos reassurance came as the bulldozers moved on to the Irwell Street site to start demolition.
In 2010, Bury police’s headquarters relocated to a brand new facility at Castlecroft Road, leaving the old site derelict.
Bury Council owns the site and got permission from its own planning department in 2013 to demolish the building.
In documents related to the granting of that permission, council staff acknowledged the presence of asbestos on the site.
This week, a former member of staff at the police station contacted the Bury Times and asked to remain anonymous in fear of losing his job.
He said: “When we worked there, we were told clearly that we couldn’t make any alterations to the building and that, even if a wall was put through, it could be hazardous due to asbestos.
“Everyone who worked there knew about it and I am concerned that, if the demolition goes ahead with asbestos on the site, it could endanger neighbours.”
A Bury Council spokesman said: “There has been a separate contract to remove asbestos.
The former Bury Police headquarters, which closed in 2010.
“The current contractor is obliged to safely remove any asbestos they come across in the course of demolishing the buildings.”
The council originally planned to demolish the building over a six-month period in the first half of 2015 and wrote to neighbours with details of those plans, but the work was delayed.
The council had hoped to sell the land to a supermarket firm for a store to be built on the site, but the company pulled out of any deal.
The council’s resources representative, Cllr Sandra Walmsley, said: “The council and its development partner Ask Real Estate are therefore considering other redevelopment options for the police headquarters site.
“We remain committed to regenerating the area between Bolton Street and Jubilee Way and the demolition of the former police headquarters is an essential step in this process.
“We are currently working up some exciting new proposals for the site and will consult on these widely as soon as the viability studies are completed.
“In the meantime we can assure local residents and businesses that all possible steps will be taken to minimise disruption during the demolition works.”
Source: This Is Lancashire
