A structurally unsafe car park which is being torn down after becoming a hazard to visitors has been found to contain asbestos.
Broadway car park was first closed to Maidenhead visitors in December 2022 after it was reported that part of the ceiling had collapsed.
Following extensive surveys, the car park was found to be "beyond its economic life" with work recently beginning to dismantle the structure.
The phased demolition has since seen scaffolding embody the 1960s car park, with a strip of shops to its left being demolished to make way for the rest of the work.
However, on Monday, December 26, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead unveiled that the work is about to become more complex.
Councillor Geoff Hill, Cabinet Member for highways and transport, said: “Last week, our contractor discovered asbestos in a contained area of the closed Broadway car park in Maidenhead, specifically between the wall and cladding on the King Street side of the building. Asbestos is common in many structures of this age.
“This material was found in an area of the car park that could not be accessed and was only exposed once demolition work began. The council has notified the Health and Safety Executive and is now working with our contractor so that it can be safely removed."
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which was used in construction until it was found to have implications on human health. It was then phased out in the 1900s until it was banned in 1999.
Cllr Hill added: “I’d like to reassure people that this doesn’t pose any risk to the public and reiterate that it’s located in an area not accessible to the public."
As a result, the demolition programme is being pushed back by several weeks while the council works with their contractor to resolve the issue.
The partial road closure of Broadway, planned for next month, has been rescheduled to run from Monday, May 13 to Monday, June 3 in order to demolish the spiral ramp.
During this time the designated Broadway access lane (adjacent directly to the car park) will be closed, with the right-hand lane along Broadway being open to enable traffic to continue to access the town centre.
The full closure scheduled for April has been rescheduled to run from Tuesday, June 4 to Thursday, June 13 daily between 9am to 3pm, with no weekend closures permitted – in order to enable the safe demolition of the staircase tower.
“As with any large-scale demolition project, there can be challenges along the way. We’ve updated residents and businesses, and I’d like to thank them for their ongoing patience," Cllr Hill added.
