Douglas Fire Latest: Demolition set to begin in coming days 

Demolition machinery is on site at Douglas Village Shopping Centre with the long-awaited demolition job set to begin in the coming days.

Loftus Demolition is undertaking preparatory work today with full demolition expected to begin this week.

The shopping centre has been closed since a devastating car fire tore through the multi-storey car park in August.

With a major demolition and rebuilding job ahead, traders at the shopping centre have been told it will be next summer before they can move back in.

It was hoped that demolition work could begin in September.

Speaking to The Echo in the weeks after the fire, Clayton Love, the owner of Douglas Village Shopping Centre, said the demolition will have to be carried out “very carefully and very slowly.” 

“I would stress that the building is dangerous,” he added.

“There is a part of the centre that is definitely coming down and there are other parts that will have to be tested and checked.

“That will then determine the timeline and extent of the demolition.

“The amount of demolition then will largely determine the time period for a rebuild,” explained Mr Love.

“There is a lot of steel to be ordered and the amount we order will depend on the demolition and we won’t know how much we’ll need until we’re well into the demolition.

“It’s only then that we’ll begin to get an accurate feel for how much material is needed,” he said.

“That then will be the key factor in determining how long it will take to rebuild the centre.” Mr Love revealed that the plan is to rebuild the car park is it was before the fire.

“We don’t have any plans other than to get it back up and running and to do this as soon and as safely as possible.

“It won’t happen overnight unfortunately,” he added.