With preparations underway for The Box to start moving over two million objects, documents and works of art into its building, the first thing to be unwrapped is the building itself.
After nearly two years, it’s time for the scaffolding on North Hill to come down. The scaffolding has provided a temporary roof over the former Central Library building, protecting the general public while restoration work has taken place. Once down, the public will be able to get a sense of the significant work that has been undertaken over the last two years.
An important milestone in the project, the removal of the scaffolding signifies that the end of construction work is in sight, something that the whole project team is very excited about. Dismantling the extensive scheme will take around four weeks.
Kristian Cartwright, Willmott Dixon Construction Manager said: ‘‘It’s great to see the scaffolding coming down on North Hill; we have been looking forward to this moment for some time.
While the construction project has been underway we have delivered over 100 public tours and welcomed over 1,000 students to the site, but we know that the rest of Plymouth can’t wait to see the finish product. Now the scaffolding is being dismantled people will really start to see all the hard work that has gone in so far and it will hopefully build further excitement around the project as the end approaches.”
Councillor Peter Smith, Deputy Leader said: “This is another important milestone for The Box as we build towards our launch next year. So much hard work has taken place since the former Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery and St Luke’s Church buildings closed in 2016 and there’s still a lot of hard work to do, but removing the scaffolding is a really visible sign of progress and an indication that we are in the home straight.”