Demolition of Regent Palace Hotel Enters Next Phase
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
The demolition of the former Regent Palace Hotel to make way for a new mixed-use development has reached ground level.
Since October last year work has been ongoing to take down the 1000-bedroom former hotel on Glasshouse Street, using two tower cranes that sit upon the existing hotel structure and foundations.
Stanhope is overseeing the redevelopment on behalf of owner The Crown Estate.
The building has now been demolished to ground floor level and over the weekend (24-26 July) a large mobile crane was set up to remove the western demolition tower crane.
The junction of Glasshouse and Air Streets was closed to traffic to allow the removal of the crane.
The next phase of works will see demolition move into the basement levels of the hotel.
Gareth Healy, of construction manager Sir Robert McAlpine, said: "Now that we're down to the ground floor we will be bringing in two 45 tonne pneumatic excavators with hydraulic munchers. This is like a big dinosaur mouth, it just shears through everything, chews through steel and concrete."
The demolition works are due to be completed in November. The work has been complicated by the retention of four of the historic facades of the existing building, which have been supported by a brace and closely monitored throughout the works.
The redevelopment will see the hotel replaced by offices, shops and residential.
In addition to the retained facades, four art-deco restaurants and bars are being completely restored within the basement of the scheme.
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