Newcastle Council to begin demolition of burnt building and fully reopen Central Motorway

But, there will have to be closure of the current open lane on Friday

Author: Ellie KumarPublished 19th Jul 2023
Last updated 19th Jul 2023

Northumbria Police have concluded their onsite investigations at Carliol Square, after the large fire at a disused building there several weeks ago.

Now, Newcastle City Council say they hope to be able to fully reopen the Central Motorway by next week, and will begin work to demolish the building.

The road was fully closed after the Tyne Bridge for several days after the fire, and has been operating with one lane open for the last week.

But the council say they wll have to close that single open lane for a limited period, from 5am on Friday - potentially until Sunday evening - so that demolition work can go ahead.

READ MORE: Arrests made after investigations into Newcastle fire

Pamela Holmes, Interim Assistant Director of Transport, said: “Northumbria Police have today concluded their investigations on site and have formally handed it over to the city council.

“In liaison with the owners of the building we will now begin the process of removing the scaffolding from around the building in preparation for the start of demolition.

“As safety of the public is our highest priority this will require the closure of the single carriageway northbound of the central motorway for a limited period from 5am on Friday.

“We hope that demolition will be sufficiently progressed by Sunday evening enabling the full reopening of the central motorway on Monday morning.

“We are now in the final stages of what has been a very challenging situation and once again I would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation over the last three weeks.”

READ MORE: Central Motorway to reopen

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