A prominent Lanarkshire tower block is set to be handed over to demolition contractors in the new year and torn down by mid-2024.
Eighteen-storey Jackson Court in Coatbridge is included in the first phase of North Lanarkshire Council’s housing project involving knocking down all 48 of its high-rise blocks over the next two decades.
Now the local authority has submitted official planning applications for its demolition – the first of three major tower blocks in the town centre set to be knocked down in the coming years.
Jackson Court’s final remaining tenants are due to move out in the next month and council officials hope to see their planning applications approved by December.
Two separate official documents give notice of the intention to demolish the tower, and of initial medium-term plans to restore the site at Coats Street with a seeded grass finish.
Approval would then see contractors take over the site early in 2023 for the start of a 17-month project to pull down the block, which is 172 feet high.
A council spokesperson told Lanarkshire Live: “It is anticipated the current applications will be approved by December; we are hoping to give the contractor possession of the tower in January and the estimated contract duration is currently 78 weeks.
“Jackson Court is currently still partially occupied – however, the aim is for the tower to be empty by November and [then] the tower will be secured in the short term until the contractor takes possession in early 2023.
“Longer term, the plan – once [neighbouring] High Coats and Dunbeth Court are demolished – is that the masterplan is finalised with up to 170 homes being built on the site.”
The three Coatbridge towers were all identified as part of the first phase of North Lanarkshire’s reprovisioning plans, which have already seen the demolition of towers at Holehills in Airdrie and various blocks in Coatbridge.
Although High Coats is similarly earmarked for demolition, it is currently being brought back into use to house 140 Ukrainian families in a major refugee support scheme backed by £5 million in Scottish Government funding.
North Lanarkshire Council added that, following the conclusion of that housing programme, “Dunbeth and High Coats will be part of a separate demolition contract.”
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