Demolition workers praise Regal building (From Northwich Guardian)

Demolition workers praise Regal building

3:00pm Wednesday 30th January 2013 in News By Gina Bebbington

THE workmen responsible for demolishing Northwich’s much-loved Regal cinema have praised the way the pre-war building was constructed.

Phil Berry, from ADM Regeneration, said the cinema, in London Road, had been designed well and with the specific geology of the town in mind.

“It was designed in a way to allow for subsidence,” he said.

“There were jacking points where you could raise the building and I was quite interested to see those.

“The condition of the building was quite good, some of the actual framework was quite large and they really did use some good framework for it.”

Phil said the demolition work had run according to schedule, despite January’s snow and freezing conditions, and the team are set to leave the site, which will be home to new Waitrose, 40-berth marina, restaurant and extra care apartments.

“We always try to get a building down as quickly as we can because it causes less disruption to the locals,” he said.

“The residents have been fantastic and the feedback we have had from some of the older locals has been brilliant – they’ve given us their knowledge and memories of their experiences at the cinema and we’ve really enjoyed that.

“When you’re taking down a building that has some history behind it, some people will miss it but I think the vast majority of people here will look forward to the new venture that’s going to take place.

“I’m hoping it will add to the value of adjacent buildings – I think a face lift in an area does help.”

He added: “Northwich really is a nice town and I can only say how friendly the people are in the area.”

The Regal opened in 1939 with a showing of Storm in a Teacup.