Demolition firm needed for Tyneside rocket flats
Gateshead Council in Tyneside is looking for a demolition contractor to bring down Derwent Tower, nicknamed the 'Dunston Rocket', due to its shape.
The 29-storey block of flats was built in 1973, which is also when the first residents moved in. Since then, it has been plagued by a series of problems, including damp, low water pressure in the taps and lifts which were frequently breaking down.
The 280 ft-tall block contains 196 flats, which all lie empty now. Gateshead Council wishes to redevelop the site, hoping that work will commence before the end of 2010.
The council says that it will replace the tower and the 116 adjoining maisonettes with new residences and shopping amenities.
A spokeswoman for the council commented: "Because of its structural complexity, Derwent Tower will not be demolished with explosives but will be carefully dismantled." The council expects the entire demolition process to take up to 18 months to complete.
The spokeswoman from Gateshead Council added: "Many people see Derwent Tower as representing all that was wrong with the past, when buildings were designed and created as architectural exercises rather than as places to live."
