BOURNEMOUTH’S controversial Imax building is almost ready to be demolished, following months of extensive preparation work.

Work on dismantling the Waterfront building at Pier Approach started last November, but has been confined to the inside of the building.

However, now that hundreds of tonnes of waste have been removed from the building, residents will soon be able to watch as the Imax is slowly taken apart and the sea view from Bath Hill restored.

This stage will start with the removal of the roof, before the steel and glass structure is gradually taken down.

Progress can be viewed on Bournemouth council’s live webcam at www.bournemouth.
gov.uk/waterfront.

Once demolished, the site will be turned into an open-air events arena, ready for the summer season.

Sarah May, project manager, said: “Since November, our contractor Interserve Construction Ltd has been stripping the Waterfront building from the inside out.

“So far around 500 tonnes of waste has been removed from the basement alone.

“In total, 13,500 tonnes of building waste will be removed from the site, including 3,000 tonnes of steel and 8,000 tonnes of concrete – 90 per cent of which is being recycled locally.

“We will be moving on to the external demolition of the building imminently and in preparation for this the ground floor slab and basement have been strengthened to withstand the demolition works.”

Cabinet member Cllr Anne Filer said: “I’m absolutely delighted that everything is progressing well and that we will soon be able to witness the building actually coming down.

“That’s when people will really see the progress that is being made. It’s going to be a big day for Bournemouth.

“There will to be a full programme of events taking place on that site throughout the summer, which will be something really exciting and interesting that we can all benefit from.”