Goodbye IMAX!

Demolition work finally starts on the outside of Bournemouth's IMAX building today (Friday).

The building's been criticised for years for blocking views of the sea.

Over the last few months it's been stripped from the inside out, but now people will be able to see the outer shell being removed, the building coming down and the sea views come back into sight once again.

Councillor John Beesley, Leader of the Council, said: ''This is a historic moment for Bournemouth. Our residents have been telling us for years that they hate the building and would like to see the sea views restored and so I am delighted that we are now in a position to fulfil these wishes.  We took advantage of low property prices to be able to buy the building when we did, and are delivering this project on time and on budget.  From this Summer we will have our sea views back plus a new public open space at Pier Approach to enjoy until the market recovers and we are in a better position to redevelop the site as part of a wider scheme.''

The main entrance will be the first section to be demolished. Two mechanical excavators will work in tandem to shear steel and remove sections bay by bay.

People can watch the building coming down via our live webcam at: www.bournemouth.gov.uk/waterfront.

In total 13,500 tonnes of building waste will be removed from site, including 3,000 tonnes of steel and 8,000 tonnes of concrete. 500 tonnes of waste has already been removed from the basement. 98% of the building waste is being recycled locally. 

By the end of March the building will be completely gone. The new outdoor events space at Pier Approach will be completed by Summer 2013 and a scheduled programme of events will be announced in the Spring.