Erith moves in to demolish London printworks

United Kingdom-based demolition specialist Erith Contractors is playing its part in the creation of a whole new look for a 6.5 hectare (16 acre) site in London’s Docklands.

The company has started work on taking down the former Westferry Printworks building in a project worth just under £1.8 million (US$2.4 million).

Owner Northern & Shell acquired the building when it bought Express Newspapers in 2000, but it has been closed since 2011.

Demolition of the structure on the Isle of Dogs site is the first stage of a development that will result in 700 new homes, a school and other community facilities, and Erith project manager Oliver Dowling is aware of the scale of the project.

“It’s a really good project to be involved in and it’s great that it’s already receiving media attention,” he said.

“It was a close run tender and we always look at the impact that our work has on the community and local residents.

“We have worked with two housing associations and the local sailing club and we have had a massive buy in. We are visible to all and we are stepping up our A-game.

“The team we have on site is really close knit and one of the guys was actually involved in the original construction. So it’s interesting for him to have that personal connection and it’s good for us to be able to use his experience and knowledge.”

The demolition is a 33-week project scheduled to finish in September. Erith has already completed the initial strip out of non-recyclable materials and will use a mix of high and low reach excavators during the works.