Notorious eyesore to undergo demolition
East Staffordshire Borough Council has agreed that a building described as “Burton’s most notorious eyesore” will undergo demolition work.
A demolition contractor has been brought in to pull the crumbling Bargates site down and work will begin early in the New Year. The process is expected to take around three months and the contract is said to be worth almost £100,000. The demolition work will make way for a planned development of new shopping, residential and leisure properties and it is hoped there will be serious interest in the development site. According to the council, work on the site could be completed by this time next year.
However, a deal to transfer the portion of the site owned by Tesco to the council must go through before the redevelopment can begin. A council spokesperson confirmed to a local newspaper that there were just a couple of legal issues to complete first.
Robert Hardwick, the council’s deputy leader for regulatory services, told the Burton Mail: “People will be delighted to see Bargates demolished because it’s been an eyesore for a long time and in recent years has become totally dilapidated.”
He added: “Even when it’s demolished and is just a flat area, that will be an improvement for local people, who will be pleased we are clearing the site and preparing it for future development.”
