Dorman Long tower listed in emergency to stop demolition

An industrial tower destined for demolition has been granted an emergency conservation listing.

The Dorman Long tower on the former Redcar steelworks site had been earmarked for destruction after Redcar and Cleveland Council said there were no grounds to block it on Friday.

But hours later, Historic England granted it Grade-II listed status.

The South Tees Development Corporation, which wants to remove the 1950s-built tower, declined to comment.

Council leader Mary Lanigan said the council could have been sued by the developers if it had blocked the demolition as the tower, which stored coal before being decommissioned in the 1970s, had "no protection under planning" laws.

But, following its listing by Historic England, a council spokeswoman said: "As it stands, this [listing] overrides any previous decision made by the council and any future course of action is the decision of the landowner."

A spokeswoman for Historic England said planning permission from the council would now be needed for "any works to alter, extend or demolish the building in a way that affects its character as a building of special interest".

She said: "We recently received an urgent application to list Dorman Long Coal Bunker. After careful consideration we advised that it should be listed at Grade II.

"Built by Dorman Long, the brutalist tower stands as a confident advert to this internationally-renowned company that dominated Teesside's steel and heavy engineering industry in the 20th Century and built structures across the world.

"The tower is also a rare surviving remnant of the coal, iron and steel industries, standing as a monument to Teesside's, and England's, 20th Century industrial heritage.

"We recognise the importance of the wider regeneration plans for this area and we will engage in urgent discussions about the tower's future. "

The Tees Valley Combined Authority, which is linked to the development corporation, said an independent report by engineers Atkins revealed "ongoing and irreversible" damage to the structure and it could cost between £7m and £9m to secure and maintain, and even then it would still have to be demolished in the next two decades.

The tower is next to the South Bank coke ovens on the former Redcar steelworks site - now called Teesworks - which are due to make way for a new wind turbine manufacturing facility, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].