The Maine Event

Those members that travelled to the recent home game with Manchester United made a detour on the trip home to take a look at how the demolition of Maine Road was progressing. It was not a pretty sight to see something that had played such a large part of your life being reduced to rubble. The following article was produced for the journal of the national federation of demolition contractors, Demolition and Dismantling, and whilst the article may be short on sentiment, it makes interesting reading for those with an interest in the nuts and bolts of what is currently occurring in M14. After weeks of careful planning by Connell Brothers, November 2003 saw the beginning of the end for the stadium at Maine Road, which was the former home of Manchester City Football Club. Along with the steel girders and masonry a million memories will come tumbling down over the next few months as Connell Brothers highly trained demolition experts reduce this precious part of Manchester City’s history to dust with their army of state-of-the-art demolition machines. The project is being carried out on behalf of Manchester City Council and English Partnerships to make way for the multi million pound regeneration of the Moss Side area of the City following the club’s move to its new stadium. Connell Brothers are well versed and experienced in the field of stadia demolition following the successful demolition of Filbert Street, the former home of Leicester City, which was completed in the summer of 2003 accident and incident free. The complex seven month project includes asbestos removal, soft strip, demolition, crushing of materials and a reduce level dig. The package has presented numerous challenges such as the adjacent terraced properties and St. Edwards school which is in close proximity. Liaison and planning are key elements to the safe execution of the works and monthly residents’ meetings are being attended to reassure the locals that safety is of paramount importance to Connell Brothers and will not be compromised in any fashion Further challenges facing Connell Brothers have included the high levels of media interest in the project which resulted in the incorporation of various press days within the programme to allow access for film crews and journalists onto site. Also, prior to commencement there was a large scale auction of various items of memorabilia and souvenirs to the public. The programme has further constraints in the sense that the sequence of demolition has had to follow a strict pattern in order to maintain the use of television aerial equipment which is located on the Platt Lane Stand. The pattern of demolition has been specified as North Stand, Kippax Street Stand, Main Stand and Platt Lane. Connell Brothers have had to carefully consider their approach to the works in the light of this fact. With preparatory works completed the demolition began in earnest with opening up works to enable asbestos removal and soft strip operations. All heavy demolition plant was delivered to site out of hours to avoid congestion and inconvenience to other road users. Extra care was also taken to avoid school start and finish times. Prior to the main structural demolition, oxy propane hot works were undertaken to pre-weaken the structures. Each stand was demolished in a specific sequence as detailed in the Connell Brothers structural engineers appraisal to avoid possible unintentional collapse. The demolition of the stands especially the 30m high Kippax Street stand has required the utilising of a variety of modern day demolition equipment including the addition of a new state of the art high reach excavator equipped with specialist hydraulic attachments increasing Connell’s fleet of high reach machines. This demolition machine reaches a staggering 41 metres and is believed to be the largest demolition caterpillar within the UK reflecting Connell Brothers position at the cutting edge of the industry. It was decided to tackle the Kippax from one end thus ensuring that the bracings at the extreme two bays at each end of the cantilever roof structure maintain lateral stability throughout the demolition. The Main Stand has also presented unique challenges due to its construction. The cantilever roof structure is being supported by the top boom of a large span lattice girder and will also be best approached with a high reach shear equipped excavator. The supporting lattice girders may be cut and toppled following the removal of the cantilever roof structure. In line with Connell Brothers environmental policy for sustainable materials apart from the hazardous asbestos waste and the soft strip material all other waste arising from the works will be recycled. The final stages of crushing of all concrete to 6F2 grade will then be carried out with stockpiling for reuse on the proposed new development. During the course of the project Connell Brothers will undertake a strict regime of Health, Safety and Environmental auditing of the works with regular visits from the external advisors to ensure that it runs to programme without accident or incident and maintains the company’s enviable blemish free Health and Safety record. The contract is also accredited to the Considerate Contractors scheme.