Lansdowne Road demolition almost done

The demolition of the historic Lansdowne Road stadium is almost complete after the West Stand was razed to the ground, developers revealed today.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, cranes and heavy machinery moved in to pull down the remaining 4,000 tonnes of seats and terracing, leaving only minimal ground works to finally clear the site.

Teams worked through the night in a race against time after being given just 72 hours to finish demolition work around the Lansdowne DART station.

It clears the way for the next phase of redevelopment which includes crushing work on the base of the old stands and excavations for the basement of the new East Stand and an underground car park.

It is hoped the site will be fully demolished in the next ten days.

Luke Gibbons, construction director east of McNamara & Company, praised the demolition teams.

“The successful demolition is testament to the careful preparation, teamwork and co-operation of all involved,” he said.

“The scale of the job was huge considering the short time window we had to demolish one of the best-known structures on the Dublin skyline.”

Michael Greene, project director of the Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company said: “I wish to extend my thanks to all involved in the build-up to the weekend and the work undertaken on the deconstruction of the West Stand.”

Lansdowne is undergoing a €350m redevelopment, much to the dismay of many local residents who live just a few yards away, but the first signs of a new stadium may not be seen until next May.

Train services, which were cancelled on the south Dublin DART line over the weekend for the demolition, will again be upset in October when it is closed for a second time, for the building of an underpass.

It is hoped to have the new 50,000-seater open in late 2009.