Dangerous playground bites dust

End of the road for the Park Road warehouse

OVER a century of history came crashing down in Oldham at the weekend as the Park Road warehouse was finally demolished.

Brick by brick, wall by wall, the towering structure was dismantled by demolition workers putting an end to years of uncertainty over its future.

Rubble
Work began on Thursday to take down the formidable and distinctive curved structure.

By Sunday the warehouse, that has stood in place since 1876, was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

A question mark now looms over the future of the site and its potential for redevelopment. The move came as owners Oldham Council last week announced that the dangerous state of the building meant it would have to be urgently tore down.

The adjacent Park Road was closed off one-way to passing traffic as a safety precaution. Yet some drivers, not seeing the signs until it was too late, decided to take a risk and ignore the closure.

The building’s demise has prompted a mixed response from locals, with some lambasting the council for not preserving heritage.

But some have welcomed it, with one resident claiming that the site had become a dangerous playground for youths and troublemakers.

Near-by resident Dave Bowyer said he took photographs of the crumbling former railway warehouse and spoke with staff at the local fire station in September last year to raise his fears about the buildings safety.

Investment
Several plans have failed to materialise for the former Grade 2 listed warehouse, that would have taken millions of pounds of investment to bring it up to scratch.

Ideas for flats, shops and offices have all been on the cards but have failed to come to fruition.

The council even tried to sell the structure for £1 in 2003 as its derelict state rendered it effectively worthless.

It turned down an offer in 2007 from local Colin Burrows who offered £1 and wanted to transform it using unskilled workers.