NCP CAR PARK ‘BLOWN DOWN’ IN LATEST PARADISE PROJECT MILESTONE

22 Jan 2006 

The former NCP Paradise Street car park was ‘blown down’ on 22 January marking the latest milestone in the Paradise Project construction programme.

Over 780 individual charges and a total of 40kg of explosives were used to demolish the 8500 tonne edifice, leaving a perfect debris pile at ground level.

Demolition contractor, DSM, carried out the delicate operation according to a carefully planned process.  Explosives were detonated using a complex sequence of timed delays to minimise air overpressure and ground vibration levels; and to ensure that the collapsing structure tilted away from surrounding buildings.

The decision to take down the former NCP car park using explosives followed a rigorous assessment by all those most closely involved with the technical aspects of the Paradise Project construction programme.

“Based on the expert advice of DSM and Laing O’Rourke, we came to a collective decision that an implosion would be the most efficient way to deal with the demolition of the NCP,” said Bill Allen, project manager at Grosvenor.

Andy Jameson of DSM added: “Credit for the successful execution of this exercise should go to those involved in the meticulous planning and attention to detail.”

Built in the 1970s, the NCP closed in November last year when the new, award-winning Liver Street car park opened as one of the first of 38 new buildings being created by the Paradise Project.

In place of the NCP will be some shops and the 14-screen Odeon cinema, which will be one of the main leisure facilities of the completed Liverpool One development being delivered by the Paradise Project.

For further information, please contact:

Rod Holmes                 -     Tel: 0151 471 5034

Vicki Locke                   -     Tel: 0151 706 6400

Justin St Clair-Charles  -     Tel: 01756 710 754

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