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Demolition of collapsed building at 'halfway stage'

Charles Heslettin Bradford
BBC A collapsed building in the background and the yellow metal arm of a mechanical pincer in the foreground BBC
An excavator with a large pincer has been used to 'nibble' away at the building's walls

Demolition of a partially collapsed building in Bradford city centre is at the halfway stage, according to the contractor in charge.

A large section of the Victorian property on Dale Street fell into the road in the early hours of 15 December.

It has remained closed off ever since with demolition experts Jennings of Pudsey asked by the owner to make the structure safe.

Boss Charles Jennings said the narrowness of the street meant clearance work took longer as it was harder to manoeuvre heavy machinery in such tight spaces.

A man in a white hard hat and dark coat with turquoise jumper standing in a street with the collapsed building visible behind him
Demolition boss Charles Jennings, whose team has been on site since before Christmas

He said: "We are about halfway now.

"We're taking it down piecemeal fashion and because of the narrowness of the road we're having top take it down, bit by bit, then take it away.

"Then take a bit more down.

"Basically, bring the building down until it's safe then clear it all up and clear the roads up.

"Steady away is the safe way. We can't take it down in big pieces."

A cordoned off road with three men in hi-vis jackets working on a pile of rubble with a yellow excavator behind them
There are currently two hydraulic excavators on site plus a wagon to take the rubble away

A high-reach excavator has been used to remove higher parts of the unstable five-storey exterior wall which was left leaning after the collapse.

Jennings said previously that the machine would be used to "nibble the building down a bit at a time" using its 33-metre hydraulic arm and steel pincer.

The demolition work, which is expected to continue for "weeks" has also revealed the probable cause of the original collapse.

Jennings said: "It's the age of it. Timber floors, years of the rain getting in and rotting the floors.

"The floors have collapsed and then pushed the walls out."

Rubble in a narrow street in between two Yorkshire stone buildings
Dale Street was left blocked after the initial collapse in mid-December

At the time of the collapse contractor Jamie Farrell, speaking on behalf of the owner, said the plan was to rebuild the building once it was made secure.

Flats on the opposite side of the road were evacuated and remain empty.

Alternative accommodation was found for tenants by their landlord, according to Bradford Council.

A council spokesperson said it was the collapsed building owner's responsibility to ensure the site was safe.

A planning application for the restoration of the structure was submitted in February 2024 by A&J Investment Management Limited.

The BBC has tried to contact the firm's sole director, Amar Hussain, at an address in Belle Vue in Bradford, for a comment but had no response.

A large hole stretching down four storeys in a Yorkshire stone apartment block
The collapse meant people had to be evacuated from flats across the road for their own safety

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