New York governor looking to preserve coastline as undeveloped land.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to spend up to $400 million to buy and demolish homes wrecked by Superstorm Sandy and permanently preserve the land as undeveloped coastline.

A Cuomo administration spokesman confirms the state would use a portion of the $51 billion disaster relief package approved by Congress last week. That would be subject to federal approval.

The plan first reported Monday by the New York Times was presented to federal officials Friday.

The program would offer previous full market value for homes in the 100-year flood plain substantially damaged by the storm and related flooding. It’s estimated 10 to 15 percent of 10,000 owners might apply.

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Helmet-cam captures wreckless driving and ensuing argument.

On the day that Transport for London (TfL) called for action from construction and demolition companies to reduce the risk to cyclists on London’s roads, this shocking video underlines precisely what the unprotected cyclist has to contend with on the capital’s streets.

A cyclist using a helmet cam captures in detail the moment that he is raced to an intersection and effectively “cut-up” by a skip lorry from City Services. The helmet-mounted camera also captures the ensuing argument in which an unrepentant truck driver shows little remorse for his actions.

TfL also wants to see construction lorries fitted as standard with cycle-specific safety equipment like side bars and blind-spot mirrors.

WARNING – The video below contains strong language.

San Francisco 49ers’ home could be gone next year.

It hosted two World Series, The Catch and the Beatles’ last concert. Now it looks like Candlestick Park will go out with a blast next year to make way for a shopping center.

Plans are to blow up the 69,000-seat stadium with a 30-second implosion, possibly within weeks of the 49ers’ final touchdown next season.

San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department, which owns Candlestick, had feared it would be stuck spending millions to mothball the 53-year-old structure until Lennar Corp. was ready to build something on the land.

Lennar, however, figures there’s no point in waiting. “The best thing for our development and the neighborhood is not to have that hulking building sitting there empty,” said Kofi Bonner, president of Lennar Urban, which plans a retail, residential and office complex for the stadium site and the former Hunters Point Shipyard.

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ANC concerns ring corruption alarm bells over cooling tower implosion.

An investigation into tender irregularities relating to the decomissioning of the Athlone Power Station has revealed evidence of possible corruption, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille revealed on Thursday.

The ANC raised concerns around the awarding of a multi-million rand tender to engineering firm, Aurecon.

In February of that year, the bands on one tower collapsed, prompting the city to announce that the structures would be demolished by the end of April to prevent their collapse.

De Lille said her office wrote to Aurecon late in 2012, requesting information on the tender.

This after a forensic audit was conducted.

The firm’s lawyers had requested an opportunity to gather evidence from the city in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

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£13 million set aside to regenerate South Wales town.

Work is due to start on the redevelopment of Neath town centre with the demolition of vacant houses.

New shop units and a multi-storey car park are to be built next to the magistrates’ court on Water Street.

However, council leaders warn it may be some time before the full plans are realised as the current economic conditions have “hampered” the project.

The development will create 110,000 sq ft of new retail space linked to the existing town centre.

Neath Port Talbot council said while economic conditions remain difficult, both it and the authority’s preferred developer, Simons, have ensured work can start.

“Further phases, when conditions allow, will see the development of additional retail space and some mixed-use opportunities,” said a statement.

“Progress will continue to be made to bring the scheme forward to a point where tenants can be encouraged to take space in the scheme.”

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Another implosion in the can for the Dykon team.

The South Bay Power Plant in Chula Vista collapsed into a pile of rubble after demolition experts from Dykon Blasting imploded it.

Kayakers and other onlookers positioned themselves as early as 4 a.m. Saturday to watch the implosion of the 165-foot plant and say goodbye to a bit of local history.

Ignition flashes could be seen in the seconds before the main towers toppled, seemingly in slow motion, sending up an enormous plume of dust.

The 60-year-old plant was decommissioned in 2010. Many had considered it to be an eyesore along Chula Vista’s otherwise scenic coast.

No-one appears to know who is behind the latest spate of house demolitions.

Work to bring down abandoned, burned out homes and clear other lots has begun but no one knows who is behind the project.

A six block section between St. Aubin and Chene Streets south of Mack Avenue are being cleaned up. However, the head of the project can’t comment because he signed a “confidentiality agreement” before the work began.

Officials with the City of Detroit are not taking credit although they confirmed a project was scheduled for that area. Mayor Dave Bing had promised to raze ten-thousand abandoned homes by the end of this year and so far 6,300 have been demolished.

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HSE bills firms almost three quarters of a million pounds in first two months of FFI.

The UK trade news portal Construction Enquirer is reporting that the Health and Safety Executive’s controversial Fee for Intervention (FFI) cost recovery scheme has pulled in more than £727,000 in the two months immediately following its 1 October 2012 introduction.

And with the construction sector (which includes demolition) accounting for more than a third of all FFI charges, it’s likely that a number of UK demolition contractors have been finding sizable bills on their doormats over the past week.

Gordon MacDonald, HSE’s programme director, said: “It is right that those who break the law should pay their fair share of the costs to put things right – and not the public purse. Firms who manage workplace risks properly will not pay.”

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As New Orleans braces for forthcoming SuperBowl, another of its stadiums is coming down.

Now that a settlement agreement has been ironed out between Tulane and the city, demolition crews are busy at work making way for the university’s new football stadium.

Since Monday, demolition crews have been busy at work tearing up Tulane’s George Westfelt Practice Facility. A university press release says field bleachers, a scoreboard, tennis court stands, along with turf and track, are being removed.

Last Friday, Tulane got the green light from the city of New Orleans to move forward with its $60-million stadium project. Construction was put on-hold until a settlement agreement was finally reached taking into account community concerns.

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Total Demolition hit with fines over breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

The lives of several workers were put at risk as they demolished an old office block in Liverpool, a court has heard.

An inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued an immediate Prohibition Notice ordering Total Demolition UK Ltd to stop work at the site on Blundell Street in the city centre until workers had protection against falling from height.

Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard today (31 January 2013) that the inspector was called out to the demolition site on 6 August 2012 after receiving a complaint about the work being carried out by the firm. When she arrived, she saw most of the building above the second floor had already been demolished.

Two of the workers were standing close to the edge of the second floor where the wall had been removed, and were throwing waste to the ground below. They were seen clambering over rubble but no safety measures were in place to stop them falling if they tripped and lost their balance.

Total Demolition UK Ltd, of Maddock Street in Birkenhead, was fined £5,000 with £2,968 costs after pleading guilty to a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

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