Elvis has ex-council headquarters All Shook Up

Elvis has ex-council headquarters All Shook Up

28 October 2015

BULLDOZERS move in next Monday to demolish Down Council’s former Strangford Road headquarters in Downpatrick.

The three storey building, which was the administrative nerve centre for the local authority for over four decades, is being demolished before the expansive site to be sold for redevelopment.

Over the past few weeks contractors have been stripping the building before it is demolished, but part of Downpatrick’s old workhouse — and integral part of the council’s former headquarters — will remain in place as it enjoys protected status.

Before its merger with Newry and Mourne Council as part of the review of public administration, Down Council wanted to demolish the remnants of the workhouse constructed over 170 years ago, arguing it had no “historical value.”

The workhouse was one of 130 constructed in Ireland and while former Down councillors said they appreciated the history of the building, they contended its historical value was diminished with the demolition of the main workhouse buildings in the early 1980s. Only part of the workhouse remains, but it has been “listed” by the Department of Environment which means it must not be touched during the proposed demolition work.

A suite of garages used as storage areas by the former council have already been bulldozed while specialist contractors are due shortly to remove some asbestos which has been identified at several parts of the building.

Bulldozing the main building, while retaining the old workhouse will be a delicate operation, but the man responsible for the work is not envisaging any major difficulty.

Elvis Kirk, of Kirk Contracts, said heavy equipment will not be used to bulldoze the old council building where it joins the workhouse. He also revealed initial work to strip the main building has revealed it was constructed using bricks manufactured at the former Killough brickworks.

“The workhouse enjoys protected status and we will be very careful to ensure it is not damaged. Work to separate the main building from the workhouse before the demolition takes place will be carried out by hand. Only when this is completed can we use heavy machinery to bulldoze the former headquarters,” he explained.

Mr Kirk’s firm was responsible for bulldozing the former Pound Lane Clinic and St. John’s Home in Downpatrick, in addition to the former casualty department and nurses homes and administration buildings at the former Downe Hospital site. 

The business owner said once the Strangford Road site was secured, work began to strip out the interior of the main building with the vast majority of material recycled where possible. Mr Kirk said “every moveable object” is taken out before the bulldozers move in and the rubble that’s generated as a result will also be recycled.

“All the services were disconnected to allow us to start the demolition process which we have to plan in stages,” he explained. “The first part of the demolition is what we refer to as the internal strip. All the doors, timber frames, carpet, light fittings, wiring and piping is removed so literally all you have left is the bare wells. We have also removed a heavy metal door from a strong room which housed the old council’s paper files and documents.

“We try and recycle as much as we can, but there is some material which cannot be recycled, including that used for insulation, internal ceiling tiles and covers for fluorescent lights. All the radiators have also been removed and this is material that can be recycled.”

Mr Kirk said once work commences to bulldoze the main building, the demolition will reveal steel frames which will be removed for recycling. He said his staff will also periodically stop demolition of the main building to sort any material discovered in the rubble which can be recycled.

Mr Kirk added: “The main thing is to get everything removed from the building before the demolition starts. The last thing we remove before the bulldozer moves in will be the windows and window frames. The rubble taken to our base will be cleaned before it can be used for people looking for infill at a new development for example. The rubble can also be used by farmers building new roads.

“The material the demolition of the former council offices generates will help provide life for other new-build developments which have secured planning approval. A huge amount of the fixtures and fittings which we have removed will also be recycled to keep waste down to a minimum. The old building really will help breathe life into new development projects.”