The demolition of the damaged part of the fire-ravaged Royal Albion Hotel is due to start within 48 hours and take up to three weeks.
Brighton and Hove City Council said tonight that demolition of the newer western section of the hotel would start “as soon as possible” and asked people to continue to avoid the area.
It said that asbestos was known to be in the textured ceiling coatings used in the building – but added there was unlikely to be any significant risk of exposure to asbestos following the fire.
People in nearby buildings were also asked to keep their windows closed while those in the buildings directly behind the hotel would remain evacuated during the demolition.
Council leader Bella Sankey said: “I want to give my heartfelt thanks to emergency services and everyone else who supported the response to the awful fire at the historic Royal Albion Hotel over the weekend.
“Sadly, the building has suffered significant damage and we’ll need to keep the roads closed while it’s made safe.
“We’re asking everyone to continue following advice from emergency services and to please keep away from the area.
“We’re sorry for the ongoing disruption – thank you for bearing with us while the area is made safe.”
Councillor Sankey also said: “Our hope is that as much of the building as possible can be saved.
“But we need to make sure that the building is safe and much better to undertake a controlled demolition than part of the building to fall down, obviously.”
A section of the seafront road will remain closed until at least Thursday – although the Old Steine itself is now open to traffic again.
The council’s building control team is now on site, alongside demolition contractors. The work is to help the fire service gain access to the site because parts of the building are no longer structurally safe.
UK Power Networks and Southern Gas Networks are on scene to ensure that that all electrical and gas are isolated and made safe prior to any work progressing.
Any nearby residents displaced by the fire who need accommodation help or advice should get in touch with the council’s housing team by emailing housing.advice@brighton-hove.gov.uk or calling 01273 294400 (option 1).
The height of the tourist season is approaching, do enough to open the main road up but i bet the main road is closed for three weeks. I’m sure residents will understand if the demolition carries on around the clock for a few days.