Seddon has started work to demolish a 5m stretch of concrete wall in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens that has been dubbed the city’s “Berlin Wall”.
The wall was designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and built in 2002 but has subsequently been described as a “mistake” and is being removed as part of £10m development plans.
Seddon’s work started this week and is expected to run for four weeks, subject to adverse weather or any unforeseen additional works. Aside from the demolition of the freestanding wall the works will also involve making good the adjacent pavement.
A specialist contractor, Hyde Demolition, will assist with the main demolition work – some of which will be done overnight due to the wall’s proximity to the Metrolink tracks and overhead power lines.
A section of the wall nearest to the power lines will also have to be demolished during night-time period of 1am to 5am. Site set-up, plant deliveries and waste removal will also be done between these times.
John Shannon, divisional director at Seddon, said: “Working closely with Hyde Demolition, we have developed a safe and structured programme to bring down this long-debated portion of wall in Piccadilly Gardens on behalf of Manchester City Council. We will keep disruption to a minimum and in advance we would like to thank local people and businesses for their patience while we complete this project.”
