News
210 ft Industrial Landmark Demolished As Development of New BSW Fort William Sawmill Continues
Explosion of Former Arjo Wiggins Powerhouse Sounds New Era for Lochaber Timber Industry
A spectacular explosion bringing down a 210 ft high powerhouse - part of the former Arjo Wiggins paper mill at Corpach, Fort William - has signalled the next stage of development on the site by BSW Timber, the UK's largest sawmilling group.
Built in the 1960s, the redundant powerhouse was a significant industrial landmark for the local area, standing on the shores of Loch Linnhe in the shadow of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Its main section housed a 170 ft chamber containing two major boilers weighing more than 100 tonnes - topped by a 40 ft steel chimney.
The controlled explosion, which took place on Wednesday (April 30), reduced the powerhouse to rubble in a matter of seconds, cutting through the steel legs of the building and causing it to collapse.
BSW Timber purchased the 67-acre paper mill site from Arjo Wiggins in 2006, paving the way for a phased investment, relocation and expansion of BSW’s existing Fort William sawmill.
Andy Rogers, mill manager of BSW's Fort William Mill, said: "The demolition of this most visible aspect of the Arjo Wiggins site signifies the end of an era - and the start of a new one. It heralds an exciting future for the new sawmill which will have more than twice the output of BSW’s current site.
"Like pulp and paper manufacturing, sawmilling is a continuous process that requires strong transport and infrastructure links, which this site has a long history of providing.
"It is particularly pleasing that the demolition represents a further step on the road to reinvigorating the site and ensuring it will continue to play a key role as a premier industrial manufacturing location for Lochaber - and for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The planning application and master-plan for the new sawmill was submitted to the Highland Council in early December 2007.
Following infrastructure work and subject to the necessary planning approvals, the first development phase will see investment in secondary processing facilities - including kilning and timber treatment. The second phase will include the building of a new sawmill. Following completion, all production will be transferred to the new site.
Scottish-based Hunter Demolition has been contracted by BSW to carry out the demolition works for the entire Arjo Wiggins site, which are due to be completed by July 2008.
The company is a founder member of the Federation of Demolition Contractors and has a successful track-record in the industry dating back to 1958. John Robertson, Hunter site engineer, said: "This has been a textbook demolition project which, in all, will take around 30 weeks to complete from start to finish.
"We are an experienced contractor and all our operatives are suitably trained for relevant disciplines. All our machines and equipment meet the current standards for emissions and noise
Emma Silvey, Project Manager at Currie & Brown which provides project management services for BSW Timber at Fort William, added: “The demolition of the powerhouse represents a significant milestone in this exciting project. We look forward to working with BSW to turn the master-plan developed by the team into reality.”
May 2, 2008
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