Demolition of landmark high-rise tower block nears completion

Only six of Goscote House's 23 storeys now remain as demolition work nears completion

One of Leicester's tallest buildings has all but disappeared from the city skyline as its floor-by-floor demolition nears completion.

Crews have been reducing the 23-storey landmark Goscote House a level at a time for nearly a year and now just six floors remain.

The 1970s-built former block of 134 council flats was vacated in 2018.

Leicester City Council said its concrete structure had become unsound and ordered its removal.

Residents said Goscote House had become an eyesore before the demolition

The authority was unable to raze the 66m (216ft) building, in Highfields, with a conventional explosive demolition because of the risk posed to homes and businesses immediately around it.

Heavy machinery with powerful hydraulic jaws has therefore been used to pull it apart from the top down as part of a £5m operation.

Altaf Khan, who lives nearby, said he would not be sorry to see the tower gone.

The 55-year-old said: "It had become a bit of an eyesore and, apart from a great view from the top, there wasn't much to like about it.

"I'm looking forward to the end [of the demolition job] because we've been living near a huge demolition site for months and it's been a bit noisy at times.

"I hope they put something more modern and prettier in its place."

The council said it hoped removing the block would help regenerate the area

The city council told the BBC the demolition process should be complete in early 2023 and that it was still considering options for the site.

A spokesperson said: "No decision has been made yet regarding future use of the site - we want to wait until the block is down and the whole site is completely cleared so that we can make a proper assessment of what is quite a small area of land."

The council previously said one possibility was building a smaller block of social housing to replace some of the units lost when Goscote House was decommissioned.

It said it wanted an option that would help regenerate the surrounding inner-city area.