'Watch it online' plea over Ironbridge cooling towers demolition
The safest place to watch the demolition of the Ironbridge Power Station cooling towers is online, the borough council insisted today.
The towers will be demolished at about 11am on Friday, barring adverse weather or other problems – and there is a robust plan to manage the process including traffic management, a 350m exclusion zone around the station and an online live stream.
Developers Harworth, who own the site, have worked with Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire Council on the plan.
When the explosive charges go off, three of the four towers are expected to fall into each other in a chain reaction while the fourth will be destroyed individually.
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It will generate large amounts of dust, some of which may fall outside the 350m exclusion zone. Loud, short-lived noise is also expected.
Telford & Wrekin Council advised the public to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed during the blasts.
The traffic management plan, conditions for which have been set by Shropshire Council, is to support and keep people out of the exclusion zone, reduce any conflict between vehicles and pedestrians and avoid traffic congestion and parking problems in the Ironbridge Gorge, particularly on a small number of narrow and steep minor roads close to the demolition.
Parking
On-street parking will be prohibited in the gorge, though the main car parks apart from Dale End will be open and Ironbridge businesses will be open for business.
A free park and ride bus will run from the top of Jiggers Bank into the Museum of the Gorge car park in Ironbridge. This will run from 9.30am to 1pm.
Buildwas Road will be shut from 6am from Much Wenlock Road to Station Road allowing access to Dale End car park until 9.30am.
Some minor hillside roads will be closed to vehicles and some footpaths. The area opposite the power station site will also be closed from around 6am until after the all-clear is given. This includes Benthall Wood.
There will be managed access for residents and businesses on any roads closed outside the exclusion zone.
Some people will gather on The Wrekin to see the towers fall from above and a team from the council will stay at the car park at the foot of the hill to monitor parking and congestion. The council warned that short term closures may be enforced if the area fills up.
The all-clear is expected to be sounded about an hour after the demolition itself.
For more informaiton visit www.telford.gov.uk/powerstation
