Mansfield General Hospital demolition to cost an extra £360,000

Work to demolish Mansfield’s former general hospital site will cost £360,000 more than anticipated, the district council has today revealed.
10-2189-3

Mansfield, General Hospital.10-2189-3

Mansfield, General Hospital.
10-2189-3 Mansfield, General Hospital.

The 1.3 hectare West Hill Drive site, which has been dubbed an eyesore by residents, will be bulldozed following a tendering process and work is expected to begin next month, a spokesman for Mansfield District Council said.

Mayor Tony Egginton took the decision today (Wednesday 23rd October) to appoint Nottingham-based CMEC Demolition to organise and manage the removal of asbestos as well as demolish the property.

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Remedial work will begin onsite from early November and demolition work is expected to commence a few weeks later.

But the total cost of the work has now been put at £940,000 - £360,000 more than anticipated.

Mayor Egginton has agreed to transfer the additional money from the authority’s capital programme and council reserves to make up the shortfall.

The additional money is needed because there is more asbestos on the site than first anticipated, while trespassers have made the problem worse by disturbing it, the council said.

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The additional funding decision is subject to full council approval on Tuesday 29th October.

Demolition is expected to take up to six months to complete and will be carried out in phases - firstly to remove the building next to West Hill Drive before then moving onto the main building set further back into the site.

The site, which was bought by the council in June, comprises a wide variety of buildings, the oldest of which dates back to before 1900. The premises have been unoccupied for almost 20 years and the site has deteriorated.

The council said it is exploring a ‘range of development options and is currently working on schemes that may be taken forward’.

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Mayor Egginton said: “We have made a commitment as a council to sort out this eyesore which has blighted the area for the last 20 years. It is a dangerous structure with high levels of asbestos so it needs to be demolished as soon as possible. The Council will then look at options for its redevelopment.”

In July 2012 the council passed a motion to seek to acquire the general hospital site, subject to legal and financial advice.

The authority had considered acquiring the site through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) but was able to successfully negotiate with the owner to buy the site without the need.

Antony Hopkinson, managing director of CMEC Demolition said: “We are pleased to have been awarded the contract and look forward to working in partnership with the council and the local community on another successful demolition project.”