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Monday, September 3, 1973
EMERGENCY CLOSURE OF MID-LEVELS BUILDINGS
The Building Authority this (Monday) afternoon applied for emergency
closure orders for Blocks A, B and C Grenville House, Magazine Gap Road, as a pre-cautionary move following yesterday's landslide which blocked May Road.
The decision was taken on the advice of consulting engineers who
this morning carried out close investigations of the slope where the landslide
occurred.
At the same time, the Building Authority confirmed that the ground
floor, lower ground floor and the bottom five domestic storeys of the remaining
blocks of Grenville House should remain unoccupied and appropriate closure
orders were being sought. The occupants of flats on these five storeys
were advised to leave yesterday.
A similar closure order was also being sought for the Chatham English
School on Chatham Path whose occupants were also advised to quit the premises
yesterday.
In the meantime, work has started on the task of completing the
demolition of the remainder of Thorpe Manor, No. 1 May Road, immediately below
which the landslide occurred yesterday. This operation has to be conducted
with great care, to ensure that the remains of this structure are brought
down in the direction of the hillside and do not fall outwards down the slope.
As this work proceeds, and given no recurrence of heavy rain, so
will the danger recede, and it is hoped to reopen some of these premises as
BOOK
as possible.
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