Children in Dunmurry have been warned by a councillor to stay away from two residential towers ahead of a planned demolition.

The towers at Seymour Hill, which are owned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, are currently undergoing essential removal of asbestos following which the towers will be demolished.

The high rise blocks of Coolmoyne and Rathmoyne built in 1966 were due to be pulled down in July 2023, but have faced continued set backs for a number of reasons, including asbestos surveys.

Councillor Jonathan Craig said: “We have received information now that the contractors to demolish the flats has now been appointed.

Coolmoyne Tower has been earmarked for demolition by the Housing Executive. Pic credit: LDRS

placeholder image — Coolmoyne Tower has been earmarked for demolition by the Housing Executive. Pic credit: LDRS

“The site has now been secured with fencing. Over the next three months we will not see a lot of external work being done because there is a lot of asbestos to be cleared out from within the flats themselves.”

The towers will form part of a £308m Northern Ireland Housing Executive Tower Block Action Plan, aimed at replacing ageing tower blocks with new homes in the wake of the Grenfell fire disaster (2017) when 72 people tragically lost their lives.

Mr Craig added: “What I would ask is that all of the residents of Seymour Hill take note with their children and make sure that they do not go into this site.

“Because when the demolition work starts it will become a very dangerous site for any child to be near.”

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A ‘Healthy Built Environment’ asbestos survey commissioned by the NIHE and seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, shows that asbestos was found on every living level of the 14 storey blocks, known as ‘Chrysotile’, or ‘white asbestos’.

The material must be removed before any demolition of the towers can begin.

The Gov.uk website states: “All forms of asbestos fibres are hazardous as they can induce cancer following inhalation exposure, but amphibole forms of asbestos (including blue and brown) are more hazardous to health than chrysotile (white).”

The LDRS contacted the NIHE for an update on the demolition and the safety procedures in place.

A spokesperson said: “Internal, preparatory works have commenced at this site, prior to demolition and our contractor has all relevant safety protocols in place.

“This work will continue for a number of months before full demolition begins.”