Bridgend Council’s Cabinet is set to approve detailed discussions with Network Rail on the demolition of the Cheapside multi-storey car park in Bridgend town centre (pdf).
Although the demolition is directly related to the new Bridgend College campus – the current site set to house one of the buildings – demolition has been on the cards since 2019.
It follows investigations which uncovered various structural defects.
“The estimated cost of the works to remedy the identified defects was considerable, and it was considered that the structure did not warrant the expenditure as further significant repairs would likely be required within a short period. Consequently, demolition was identified as the preferred option.”
– Bridgend County Borough Council
Demolishing the car park will be awkward for at least two reasons.
Firstly, the car park was built in such a way that the structure could become unstable during the demolition process. Secondly, the car park’s proximity to the railway (as well as Aldi and ASDA), which means Network Rail needs to be satisfied that the car park can be demolished safely.
BCBC will therefore need to enter into a special agreement with Network Rail, where BCBC would need to pre-pay any costs Network Rail incurs as a result of the demolition work.
Tenders for the car park’s demolition are out, so it’s unclear yet how much that work would cost, or how much Network Rail will expect to be paid upfront.
