Willington Cooling Towers - Possible Demolition - March 09

[ashless]

Good old Willington, it was my first!

 

[james.s]

Hopefully going again soon
It is a really great site (thanks fot putting the pictures on peter) I hope that the High-Vis men do not demolish it soon, as seems apparent in the B towers.

 

[thompski]

If I recall that demolition took place late last year, either way I'm sure any plans to demolish the towers will be in the Derby Telegraph and Burton Mail. I think the local NIMBY's stopped the development, that and South Derbyshire council being useless idiots so wouldn't expect anything to happen any time soon.

 

[james.s]

I agree totally with you on the issue of South East Derbyshire Council being idiots, the whole of derbyshire's councils are. What demolition took place last year? Was it the insides of the B towers?

 

[thompski]

Pretty much just that, and new fencing around the site.

 

[james.s]

Ah, someone else said they saw some diggers in there. Shame about the B towers, they had the interior walkways still intact too.

 

[james.s]

I forgot to post this, but this was the sky over the back of the site when I visited first. HDR'd for full effect.

 

[4737carlin]

Any more news on whats going on with these? if they do come down i hope they do it in daylight unlike Sheffield

 

[The_Revolution]

Any more news on whats going on with these? if they do come down i hope they do it in daylight unlike Sheffield

I think the proximity to roads will mean they come down at night. There was another one in the area that was demolished late at night so as not to freak out drivers who were passing. I felt the blast and I'm miles away.

 

[thompski]

It appears they are planning upon building a gas-fired power station on the site, the locals won't be happy - cant build housing? Pollute them instead

From thisisderbyshire.co.uk

A UNION leader has welcomed news that thousands of construction jobs could be created in Derbyshire if plans for a power station go ahead.

Energy company RWE Npower is considering building a gas-fired plant on the derelict site of a former power station in Willington.

Up to 2,000 jobs would be created during construction and up to 100 employees and apprentices would run the plant.

Steve Murphy, regional secretary of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians in the Midlands, said it would be good news for the area if the power station was built.

He said: "The East Midlands has suffered many job losses in construction since the economic downturn. Any new jobs would be warmly welcomed."
Click here!

Npower said it was considering the plans after it was refused permission in January to build 1,000 homes on the site in Twyford Road following a lengthy public inquiry.

Npower has stressed that it is a long way off from submitting a planning application for the Willington scheme.

 

[james.s]

If they do, I wonder if they will try and use the shell of the current towers or be daft and build some new ones?
It would make sense to retain the current ones, but they may not be particularly pleased that they contain asbestos.

 

[thompski]

A Gas fired station is currently being built at Staythorpe in Nottinghamshire, which formerly housed two Coal Fired stations much like Willington. From what I can gather there is no Hyperboloid cooling towers at the new facility there, so I don't think they'll keep the ones at Willington should a new station be proposed for Willington.

 

[james.s]

I've just looked at Willington on google maps, it shows the power station being demolished, quite interesting really.
Flashearth shows it still open. I actually remember attending a birthday party at the plant just before it was demolished, now I come to think of it....

>Look Here For Google Maps<

>Look Here For Flashearth<

 

[james.s]

It was on Radio Derby earlier, that local residents are voting as to the fate of the towers, I can't imagine they would want them

 

[fezzyben]

It was on Radio Derby earlier, that local residents are voting as to the fate of the towers, I can't imagine they would want them

I'm in the next village but have mates in willington and they like them as it shows them they aren't far from home when they see the towers.

 

[james.s]

I'd like them too if I lived near them, I think a new power station has been proposed hasn't it? But it would be a dual-cycle gas thingymabobbie, so woudln't retain the towers.

 

[thompski]

When you've been away for three months there's no better 'welcome home' then the five towers looming on the horizon as you race down the A50 - that said I feel the land should be brought back into use - be it some sort of clever reuse of the cooling towers (modern art piece?) a new power station or an estate of 'Barratt boxes'.

 

[james.s]

There is a lot of good land wasted there, but I think it should be used for something useful, like industry, I am sure the towers can be reused and they should. They are a landmark. I am sure someone out there can think of a viable use for them, preferable reuse as cooling towers, but I am sure they could be modified into all manner of stuff. Add a roof and you have a shell of a building to work with. No one would do that nowadays though. So it looks like more Barratt Boxes.

 

[fezzyben]

would make an awesome climbing\abseiling centre.

 

[james.s]

Yeah! It would! I would go. Put a roof on one, and make it a visitor centre for something, nice!