THE first glass on the front of the much-hated Imax on Friday morning as the demolition crew finally moves in.

Council leader John Beesley will be on hand to watch as the demoltion starts at 8.45am.

Members of the public are being asked to watch the action online at bournemouth.
gov.uk/waterfront for health and safety reasons.

Councillor John Beesley, Leader of the Council, said: “This is a historic moment for Bournemouth. Our residents have been telling us for years that they hate the building and would like to see the sea views restored and so I am delighted that we are now in a position to fulfil these wishes. We took advantage of low property prices to be able to buy the building when we did, and are delivering this project on time and on budget.

"From this Summer we will have our sea views back plus a new public open space at Pier Approach to enjoy until the market recovers and we are in a better position to redevelop the site as part of a wider scheme.”

Interserve Construction Ltd will work from the west moving eastwards. The main entrance will be the first section to be demolished. Two mechanical excavators will work in tandem to shear steel and remove sections bay by bay.

The building should be totally gone by the end of March. The new outdoor events space at Pier Approach will be completed by the summer 2013 and a scheduled programme of events will be announced in the Spring, says the council.