Former White Knight tumble drier factory, Crosslee, in Hipperholme, is being demolished

Earlier this year Crosslee Plc submitted a notice to Calderdale Council to clear buildings from the Brighouse Road site after it ceased production there.

A further notice has now been accepted over a building known as the Tractor Shed, which was found to be a potential home to roosting bats, breeding birds and a badger sett.

The demolition of this part of the site will now take place between September and December - outside of the bird nesting season.

Demolition of the factory is well underway

A planning application is expected to then be submitted for redevelopment of the key site.

A spokesperson for Crosslee said: “The demolition of the former factory buildings on the site is making good progress, with all works expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“Over 80,000 sq ft of the former factory, including the finished goods warehousing and the materials store, has already been demolished and the remaining infrastructure on the site will follow in the coming months.”

Photographs taken this week by the Telegraph & Argus show the extent of the demolition works and subsequent clearance operation.

The demolition work involves demolishing the concrete framed office buildings and former factory outlet facility as well as the warehouses - a total of 24,200m2, which once housed up to 600 workers.

The site before demolition began

Documents also add that production at the factory ceased last year and “there is no realistic prospect of production re-starting”.

The buildings themselves are described as out of date, containing “significant amounts of asbestos” and are a “security and maintenance liability”.”

It adds: “The site currently accommodates a number of buildings collectively known as the Lightcliffe Factory. These buildings have been occupied by Crosslee Plc for some 40 years for the purposes of manufacturing home appliances.

“Last year Crosslee Plc ceased manufacturing at the site due to competition from the Far East and Eastern Europe. The factory buildings are now vacant and it is proposed to demolish them in advance of redevelopment of the site for mixed use purposes.”

“The purpose of the proposed demolition is to demolish the now redundant Lightcliffe Factory to facilitate comprehensive redevelopment of the site for mixed uses including housing and new job-creating uses."

Any asbestos will be removed from the buildings before demolition takes place, and a “soft strip” of fixtures and fittings will take place first.

The main offices and display showroom will be brought down in a piecemeal manner, breaking off small portions of concrete and masonry.

For the steel framed structures, such as the warehouses, the steel roof and cladding will be removed first.

Hardstanding and foundations will be cleared using an excavator and suitable materials will be crushed and left stockpiled on site for use as the site is redeveloped.

As for the Tractor Shed, a 29m by 8m brick and slated roof building, three walls and the roof will be demolished with a party wall to remain.

The full demolition process is expected to take 30 weeks, and is to be finished by the end of the year with the removal of the Tractor Shed.