case study
Vinyl countdown
84 | DemolitionHUB Magazine
Ever increasing logistical costs has sadly spelled the end for one of the larger employers on the Fylde Coast. Situated on the Hillhouse Business Park in Thornton Cleveleys, just a few miles south of Fleetwood, the former PVC manufacturing plant of Vinnolit has closed and become the latest victim of Manchester based demolition specialists, Connell Brothers. Once occupying a huge area across the estate, much of the chemical processing facilities have long since disappeared, with remaining buildings being taken over by other industries. With Vinnolit now shut, this large area of industrial land once part of the ICI dynasty, now has a more modern manufacturing neighbour. Just a stone’s throw from the Fylde tidal estuary, the removal of the Vinnolit plant will see the business park’s owners use the remaining slabs on the site for new, smaller buildings in a bid to attract several small enterprises from around the area. Connell Brothers has been tasked with the demolition of the large plant while leaving all the concrete slabs and foundations in place. “The slabs are staying as there is relatively new infrastructure and services we don’t want to disturb as it will cause issues with the site’s neighbours,” said Jim Connell, MD of Connell Brothers. This has also required the contractor to exercise care when moving plant around the site so as not to damage any of the road network running between the various plants they are demolishing. Keeping an eye on the daily proceedings is former NFDC Site Manager of the Year winner, Kevin Brooks. Kevin has been with the company for more than 20 years and has not only worked on other large chemical plant decommissioning projects for the likes of Esso and Shell but has also demolished large swathes of the plants that used to stand on this site. “It was a huge site in its heyday,” said Kevin, “but things move on and we are here to give the area a new lease of life.” Most of the site was constructed in the early 1980s, resulting in demolitionhub.com