Berry Brow demolition project

The whole project runs from January to September 2026. Here's a rough guide to the stages:

Timeline for the Berry Brow demolition project

When	Stage	What happens
Jan - Feb 2026	Site setup and hoarding	Fencing goes up, welfare facilities installed, site secured. This is happening now.
Mar - May 2026	Asbestos surveys and removal	Specialist licensed contractors will identify and safely remove all asbestos-containing materials from both blocks, with independent air monitoring throughout.
Mar - Jul 2026	Soft strip	All internal fixtures and fittings are carefully removed. Around 95% of the materials will be recycled.
May - Aug 2026	Demolition	The buildings come down, starting with Holme Park Court, then Bishops Court. A specialist high-reach excavator takes each floor down piece by piece.
Jul - Sep 2026	Foundations, crushing and site clearance	Slabs and foundations removed. Concrete is crushed on site for reuse, then the site is cleared and made good.

The blocks are being done one at a time. Holme Park Court goes first, then Bishops Court. Some stages overlap on the timeline above. We will work to the timeline above as best we can, but some elements aren't within our control, so we'll update these pages if anything changes.

We know a big demolition project near your home is going to have some impact, so here's an honest rundown of what to expect and what we're doing about it.

What you will notice from the Berry Brow demolition project

Topic	Details
Working hours	Monday to Friday, 7:30am - 6pm. No work at weekends.
Hoarding	2.4-metre timber fencing around the whole site. Designed to last the full demolition project (and until the site is secured by a developer).
Site vehicles	All works vehicles will be parked on site, not on surrounding streets. Typically, fewer than 25 workers on site at any time.
Lighting	Extra lighting may be needed during the demolition phase but will be switched off at the end of each working day.
Pavement and bus stop	Access along Parkgate / Woodhead Road pavement and the bus stop will be maintained throughout.

Large vehicles will use main roads and Woodhead Road to access the site. They'll avoid residential streets like Armitage Road, Stockwell Hill, Stockwell Vale, Carriage Drive, Waingate, and other minor roads as far as possible.

Deliveries and material movements will be timed to avoid busy periods, including school run times. There's a pull-in area at the site entrance off Parkgate/Woodhead Road so vehicles can get off the road before reaching the gates - no blocking the road.

Trained traffic marshals will be on hand whenever vehicles enter or leave the site to keep pedestrians safe.

The demolition excavator has a built-in dust suppression system that sprays a fine mist directly at the point where concrete is being broken. On top of that, ground-based dust cannons spray atomised water over the wider work area. This catches airborne particles before they can drift off site.

Dust levels will be monitored throughout at the site boundary, at locations agreed by us. The limit is 50 micrograms per cubic meter over any one-hour period.

Noise monitoring equipment will be set up at the site boundary. The limit is 75dB(A) - roughly the volume of a vacuum cleaner from a few metres away. Background noise levels will be measured before demolition starts, so any changes can be tracked.

Working methods are chosen to keep noise as low as practically possible, and all work is confined to weekday hours (no evenings or weekends).

Vibration will be monitored at the site boundary throughout the demolition works. The limit is 7mm/s - well within safe levels for nearby buildings. If needed, trenches can be dug on site to absorb vibration before it reaches the boundary.

As an extra precaution for properties to the north of Bishops Court, a physical demolition screen will be placed between the building being demolished and the site boundary. This prevents any debris from leaving the site in that direction.

An arboricultural (tree) impact assessment has already been carried out. The hoarding has been designed to minimise impact on trees, particularly around areas with Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs). No trees are being chopped down as part of this project.

It's completely normal for buildings of this age to contain some asbestos materials, and both blocks have been thoroughly surveyed. The most recent being detailed Demolition and Refurbishment Surveys carried out in the last few weeks.

The key facts:

• All asbestos removal will be carried out by a licensed specialist contractor
• Air monitoring will take place throughout the asbestos removal phases
• An independent analyst will issue clearance certificates confirming all asbestos has been safely removed
• All asbestos waste is tracked with consignment notes and taken to licensed disposal facilities

Most of the asbestos identified falls into the non-licensed (lower risk) category, but regardless, all of it will be handled by competent, qualified professionals following strict health and safety regulations.

During the soft strip phase, all remaining fixtures and fittings are removed and separated for reuse or recycling wherever possible. Metropolitan Demolition currently achieves a recycling rate of around 95% on similar projects.

All waste is transported by licensed carriers to licensed facilities, with full documentation tracked and provided to us. Concrete from the buildings will be crushed on site for reuse, reducing the number of lorry trips needed.

Once the demolition and site clearance is complete, the site will form part of our Capital Investment Programme new build scheme, which was submitted to cabinet in December 2025. The aim is to create new, high-quality homes - we'll share more details as plans develop.