Rhodar has won a tender process, which will see it demolish three 18 storey tower blocks that have stood empty for over 10 years.

As part of plans to regenerate a key area of Halifax in Calderdale, Rhodar has been appointed by Together Housing Group, one of the country’s largest social landlords, to clear the Beech Hill estate site, which is currently occupied by Cobden Court, Blenheim Court and Westbrook Court.

Up to 80 Rhodar operatives are scheduled to work on the internal strip out and subsequent top down deconstruction of the tower blocks, along with a 65-metre super high reach excavator, of which only a handful exist in the UK. The excavator will remove approximately 10 storeys from each block, allowing further high reach kit to demolish the remaining structures.

Four excavators ranging from 21 to 40 tonnes will be on hand to process site materials and the existing concrete and rubble will be recycled on site into a specific engineered fill material that will then be used to create a development platform for the next level of regeneration. This will contribute to a significantly reduced carbon footprint for the project by minimising vehicle movements in and around the project area. Rhodar will also utilise special water jets attached directly to the demolition equipment in addition to state-of-the-art mist cannons to mitigate dust migration generated from the demolition works.

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The £6m+ project win coincided with the company’s recent rebrand in June of this year. Rhodar’s new brand formally showcases its ability to provide an end-to-end specialist enabling works solution for the construction industry, offering asbestos removal, demolition and remediation services.

The regeneration of Beech Hill is part of the Calderdale Together Investment Partnership, a partnership between Together Housing and Calderdale Council, which aims to deliver 500 affordable homes over the next five years, including new homes at the Beech Hill site, as well at other sites across Calderdale.

Jason Davy, managing director at Rhodar, said: "This is an important milestone for our business as it will be the first major enabling works package we have undertaken since our corporate rebrand last month, and it’s extremely rewarding for our teams to be working on such a prestigious and high-profile regeneration scheme."

George Paterson, group director of Property Services at Together Housing Group, said: "I, like many people in Halifax, will be delighted to see new, affordable homes replace these outdated tower blocks. This is part of our commitment to address the housing crisis in West Yorkshire where the average home is now seven times the average salary."

The site clearance is expected to take 64 weeks with main demolition works commencing in January 2019.

(MH)