High-rise flats in Glasgow’s Gorbals are to be demolished on Sunday morning.
Norfolk Court will come down to make way for a development of 201 homes to be overseen by New Gorbals Housing Association (NGHA).
It is understood an exclusion zone will be set up around the 24-storey building from 8am, however the time of the blast has not been released.
A source close to the project said: “As soon as the area is deemed to be safe, they will push the button.”
Norfolk Court has been a fixture on the city skyline since the 1970s and once housed more than 270 families.
One of its most famous former residents was comedian and broadcaster Des Clarke.
Three of four blocks on the site were demolished in the last decade and nearly 800 tenants have been rehoused.
Demolition of the final high rise will give the green light to progression of the £24 million housing development by NGHA.
New Gorbals Housing Association Chairperson Raymond Shannon said: “We are looking forward to the last of the demolitions in the Gorbals to make way for further phases of regeneration in Laurieston.
“Norfolk Court has been home to thousands of local residents since 1976 and is remembered fondly by many of those who lived there. Every tenant affected by demolition in Gorbals since 2002 has been rehoused here - if that is what they wished - and over 80% have chosen to remain in the Gorbals. It is a credit to the new Laurieston development that the many who have moved there from Norfolk Court are happy in their new homes.”
The tower block is situated at 5 and 17 Norfolk Court, standing at 24 storeys tall and housing 276 flats. The demolition will be carried out by Dem-Master Demolition, after several months of detailed planning with New Gorbals Housing Association, explosives specialist Safedem Ltd, Police Scotland, Glasgow City Council, regeneration specialist Urban Union, the Highways Agency, Network Rail, SPT, and engagement with the local community.
Laurieston is one of Glasgow’s Transformational Regeneration Areas which are overseen by Transforming Communities Glasgow.
The urban renewal is being delivered by the developer Urban Union in partnership with Glasgow City Council and New Gorbals Housing Association and will deliver a major boost for the city, building a wide range of new homes and much needed community facilities.
The area is home to the O2 Academy and the world-renowned Citizens Theatre. Future phases have the potential for further housing, retail, hotel accommodation and community facilities.
Susan Hallsworth, managing director of development consortium Urban Union, said: “We are delivering a major regeneration of Laurieston, once the most densely populated and urban area of the Gorbals. It has a rich, fascinating history with Norfolk Court a key landmark in the area and Glasgow.
“Developing a new community which represents this history is an element deeply rooted in our plans and continually guided by working closely with the local community as well as partners such as NGHA and Glasgow City Council.
“This regeneration project has been an active consideration for nearly 20 years and we are committed to building this new community with ‘homes for life’ for the residents in the area – new and old – including many of the residents from Norfolk Court who have recently moved in to brand new properties on the site.
“We look forward to continuing our work with partners and the local community as we progress phase 2 of the development.”
Richard McCulloch of Dem – Master Demolition said: “Norfolk Court is the last of the remaining tower blocks making way for the redevelopment of Laurieston. During the demolition project our teams have been welcomed into the local community and we would like to thank local residents, businesses and the general public for their patience and cooperation.
“Dem – Master Demolition wishes New Gorbals Housing Association and The Laurieston Regeneration Project continued success.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel