48 London Road demolition FAQs

We are undertaking the demolition of 48 London Road to enable the construction of Leicester Station Gateway, at the heart of which sits a pedestrianised, landscaped public open space leading to a new entrance/exit directly into the station’s ticket hall, affording views towards the city centre.

The removal of 48 London Road restores the context of the original station building for the first time in nearly a century, revealing the building's Victorian architecture along the Station Street façade.

To safeguard the historic fabric of the Grade II listed station, the project team has appointed a heritage consultant and consulted with the Railway Heritage Trust, Historic England and Leicester City Council's conservation and planning officers on the principle of and methodology for the demolition.

Planning permission for demolition works and Listed Building Consent was granted by the Planning and Development Control Committee on 6 December 2023.

Local demolition specialists AR Demolition  will be carrying out the works.

Rail services to and from Leicester Railway Station will be unaffected by the demolition works, and the station will remain open as normal. Works will be taking place behind hoardings and so will not impact the day-to-day use of the station.

The majority of people visiting the station will be unaffected by the works. Pedestrian access to the station will continue to be via the existing London Road and Station car park entrances.

Traffic restrictions will be in place on Station Street to facilitate the works from Monday 12 February. This will mean that access to Station Street will be limited to essential vehicles only.

When applicable, rail replacement buses will continue to operate from the Station Car Park.

Yes. There will be some minor changes, such as contractor welfare facilities being located within the car park, and a segregated route marked for demolition traffic for public safety. Access to and from Station car park will remain the same: access via Campbell Street and exit via Fox Street / St George’s Way.

Private vehicles, including private hire vehicles and taxis, are permitted to pick up / drop off passengers within the Port Cochere area of the station (there is a maximum free parking limit of 20 minutes).
Only Hackney Taxis are permitted to use the dedicated taxi rank area within the Porte Cochere, with no time limitations on usage.

Noise from the demolition works is expected to be minimal. However, on occasion there may be some noisier work being carried out, but this is expected to be infrequent and minimal. Noise monitoring instruments will be used throughout the demolition process to ensure noise is kept at an acceptable level, with agreed processes being in place to respond if any of these noise levels are breached.

We don’t expect to see significant levels of dust from the works due to the method of demolition and the fact there will no crushing of demolition materials on site. However, dust controls will be implemented (as per AR’s Environmental Management Plan) which will detail all emission controls, threshold levels, monitoring and alerting procedures.

Dust monitoring instruments will be used throughout the demolition process to ensure specific parameters are not breached, with agreed processes being in place to respond if any of these levels are breached.

An air quality management plan has been produced in line with the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM). This will inform the controls required to ensure air quality is maintained during each phase of the demolition.

Measures taken to minimise dust emissions include:

• Soft strip inside buildings before demolition, retaining walls and windows to provide a screen against dust.
• Water suppression techniques (atomised and targeted jet water).
• Installation of scaffolding around the three-storey structure which shall be covered in sheeting. This sheeting helps act as a barrier for dust leaving the site.

To ensure minimal disruption to nearby residents and businesses, AR Demolition will be carrying out works on site during the following hours:
Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm
Saturdays, 8am-1pm
No works to be undertaken on Sundays or public/bank holidays.

The demolition works started in February 2024 and are expected to be completed Summer 2024.

AR Demolition’s site manager will be the main point of contact throughout the duration of the works for any queries or concerns relating to the demolition. Their contact number is 07840 050 373. Their contact details will also be available onsite on the hoardings surrounding the demolition site.

Any queries about the wider Leicester Station Gateway project should be emailed to the project team.