Balfour Beatty to recycle materials from soon-to-be demolished flats

The construction group has already started work to demolish the last tower block on the West Gorton residential estate in Manchester – fifty years after it was originally built.

According to Balfour Beatty, the work is part of a demolition project that will see a 100% recycling rate of non-hazardous materials from the sixty-four home Armitage Court and Wenlock Court block.

It is the second phase of a regeneration programme in West Gorton to redevelop a high-rise residential development built in the 1960s. The tower blocks are being replaced with improved residential housing.

Concrete is crushed and re-used in road and sewer developments, timber is sent to a factory for use in making MDF products and all soft furnishings, including carpets and curtains, are taken to a local recycling facility where they are turned into pellets to fuel power stations.

Balfour Beatty North West Delivery Unit managing director Peter Commins said: “This project builds on our extensive experience of regeneration and demolition projects. Balfour Beatty strives to deliver projects which have minimal impact on the environment and I am pleased we will achieve a 100% recycling rate at West Gorton.

“We are committed to working with Manchester City Council to support their regeneration programme.”

Demolition began in December 2013 and the blocks will be demolished by the end of April, with the site cleared by the summer, Balfour Beatty said.

Liz Gyekye