Demolition of the loading bay of the existing Tesco store is nearing completion. The photo (left) shows that only part of the steel framework remains. Work on the demolition began in early February with the removal of a large piece of machinery from the roof of the building using a giant crane. The initial attempt had to be aborted due to high winds, but the task was completed a few days later [photo]. Scaffolding was then erected to dismantle the brickwork before work on the steelwork could begin. More photos in our PicasaWeb Gallery.
The site plan extract above shows that the loading bay of the old Tesco store (shown as a dashed red line) overlaps the footprint of mall units forming part of the new Tesco store. The remainder of the space occupied by the old store will form car parking for the new scheme. Also visible in the plan is an access road into the new town centre development from Bradley Stoke Way. It is believed that this road will be reserved for buses, allowing them to pull up in front of the new store before proceeding to the new bus station elsewhere on the site.
Meanwhile, one lane of Bradley Stoke has been coned off alongside the new store. This is believed to be in connection with work to re-route buried cabling. This is being carried out by Avonline on behalf of Virgin Media and it is understood that the lane closure will last at least a week. Oddly, no mention of these roadworks could be found on the Road Report page of South Gloucestershire Council’s website.
