Glasgow tower blocks demolished by controlled explosions

Three 1960s tower blocks in Glasgow have been brought crashing down in seconds by demolition experts, changing the skyline of northern Glasgow.

The 26-storey towers at Wyndford Road were destroyed using using controlled explosions to make way for nearly 400 new homes.

An exclusion zone and temporary evacuation centre were set up as residents from 240 nearby properties were asked to leave during the operation.

A fourth high-rise block will also be taken down as part of the redevelopment using a piece-by-piece demolition technique.

The Wyndford estate was built in the Maryhill area of the city, on the site of the old Glasgow City barracks, with the high storey blocks completed in the late 1960s.

The four 26-storey blocks and several smaller high-rise buildings at one point providing homes for around 6,000 people.

Some residents had campaigned against the demolition plan, arguing instead for a retrofit option.

But owners Wheatley Homes housing association claimed the flats were not fit for purpose and could not feasibly be altered to meet modern floor space standards.

The 600 flats in the high-rise blocks will be replaced by 386 affordable homes.

The masterplan for the redevelopment includes a community hub with a hall, café, meeting rooms and computer access.

Nearby residents were asked to leave their homes on Sunday morning and were offered breakfast and lunch at a nearby secondary school which was used as an evacuation centre.

People living within the exclusion zone were offered Tesco gift vouchers, worth £100, as compensation for the disruption.

St Gregory’s Catholic Church, located nearby on Kelvindale Road, had its stained glass windows covered with protective sheeting.

The church is closed and the 10:00 service took place instead at St Charles’s at Kelvinside Gardens.

Misting systems were being used to minimise dust after the demolition but residents had been advised to shut windows, keep pets indoors and cover fish ponds and rabbit hutches.

People with respiratory conditions were also advised to avoid the area.

Clean-up teams will now carry out street sweeping and jet washing.