Welwyn Garden City store to be demolished by November
The old Sainsbury's store in Welwyn Garden City will be demolished by November, in preparation for the construction of the new one.
Contractors are preparing to move onto the site after the current store closes its doors for the last time on 24 August, when they will completely raze the supermarket and its adjacent buildings.
The Church Road site will be completely surrounded by hoardings as part of the comprehensive measures to contain the asbestos contained in the structure.
The project manager in charge of the demolition, Paul Tyler, said the asbestos levels were very low, but they needed to do everything exactly by the book.
“The buildings do have asbestos in, it’s not significant, it will be handled by expert contractors," he told local traders.
“By mid-November we will have complete clearance of the site.
By early January the foundations will be laid and by September 2011 the store will have taken shape, ready for the fit out inside."
The new development will span four storeys, with parking for 400 cars on the ground and basement levels, the food store on the first floor and an further mezzanine level containing a café and clothing and household ranges. The floor space will cover more than 52,000 square feet – more than three times the store's current size.
