A Dundee church is set to rise again from the rubble that crashed around it.
The spectacular and highly-skilled demolition of the Derby Street multis left St Martin’s Episcopal Church, squeezed into the space between them, almost unscathed.
The stunning simultaneous “blowdown” of Butterburn and Bucklemaker Courts last Sunday, seen by millions of viewers on the internet, was executed with almost perfect precision.
The church was left unaffected but a corner of the adjoining hall was clipped by falling masonry, causing damage to the fire escape, a wall and the roof.
As a result, St Martin’s has had to cancel hall lets to user groups over the summer months while builders carry out repairs.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uZp5trvOSj0%3Flist%3DUUvYN4-RH1dbFRLciVUpS7mw
“A pipe band, a zumba class and a church group have had to make alternative arrangements for their meetings,” said the Rev Alison Jones.
“Because of the structural damage and without a fire escape, we have had to close the hall to the user groups during the summer.
“We’re very sorry this has happened but Safedem had a very difficult job to bring the two tower blocks down into such a tight space and it was due to their skill that they managed to do it so well.
“The company have acted very swiftly to bring in builders to put right the damage to the hall and we thank them very much for this.
“The builders are here now and we understand the works will take a week or two.”
St Martin’s has had a presence on Derby Street for around a century and has pledged to continue to serve the community when the area is regenerated with new housing.
The church is planning to hold a service of celebration once the repairs to the hall are carried out and the user groups return.