Fawley Power Station: Chimney demolished as part of redevelopment

A 198m (650ft) chimney has been blown up as part of the clearing of the Fawley Power Station site on the Hampshire coast.

The oil-fired facility was decommissioned in 2013 after operating for more than 40 years.

A controlled blast took place shortly after 07:00 GMT.

An exclusion zone and road closures were put in place before the blast and police temporarily restricted access around the site.

Developer Fawley Waterside had discouraged sightseers from gathering to watch the explosion, however it said bad weather conditions meant it was unable to go ahead with a planned live online video stream showing the demolition using a drone.

Some residents living near the site were moved from their homes.

Scores of people braved the driving rain to gather outside the exclusion zone to see the moment the stack was brought down following the sounding of a warning siren.

The remaining southern end of the turbine hall was also demolished.

The demolition work on the site is to make way for the planned £1bn Fawley Waterside scheme incorporating 1,500 homes, given approval in July 2020.

The power station, on the western side of Southampton Water, was commissioned in 1971.

It was capable of powering one million homes at its peak, but it fell foul of new emissions rules and closed in 2013.

The rest of the site - including the power station's circular control room - is due to be cleared by 2022.

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