National Grid : Dismantling underway of Dunstable gas holder

15 Dec 2017

National Grid dismantles disused gas holder at Westfield Road, Dunstable

• Holder built in 1936 but is now redundant as there sufficient storage capacity for gas within the pipe network
• Work is part of a national programme to dismantle disused gasholders to put sites to better use
• Local people invited to community information event to learn more about the dismantling work

Work to dismantle a gasholder on the National Grid site in Dunstable gets underway in late January.

The gasholder once played an essential role in making sure local homes had a reliable gas supply. They were filled with gas during times of low demand so that they could feed into the local network of pipes at times of peak demand.

Nowadays, techniques developed by National Grid allow gas to be compressed and stored inside gas pipes. This means that the old holders are no longer needed and can be dismantled so that the land can be brought into beneficial use.

Bethan Short, National Grid Land Regeneration Advisor, said: 'National Grid is committed to finding new ways of making better use of the assets and equipment it owns and operates. The old gasholder served the town well but we are now able to store gas in our underground pipes and so no longer need the vast network of holders we once had.'

'Local homes and businesses will still enjoy a safe and reliable gas supply, but we will now be able to dismantle the gasholder and clear the site ready for it to be reused. In some locations, former gas holder sites have formed a key part of major local regeneration plans.'

The gasholder at Westfield Road was built in 1936. The site was previously operated by the Dunstable Gas & Water Company and the site included a small area where people could view some of the latest gas inventions, including irons, table lamps and refrigerators.

Before work to remove the gasholder starts on-site, National Grid and their specialist contractors will be holding an information event at the Incuba Business Centre on Brewers Hill Road from 1.30-5.30pm on Thursday 11 January 2018 where local residents can find out more about the work. National Grid and their specialist contractors, Robinson & Birdsell Ltd, will be on hand to talk to local residents about the dismantling process and answer any questions the public may have.

Bethan added: 'Removing the gasholder will be a complex job, but we'll use highly skilled engineers to carry out the work. We'll keep local residents and businesses informed as our work progresses.'

For more information on the project, contact National Grid's Community Relations team on 0800 073 1047 between 7am-7pm Monday to Friday or 7am-1pm on Saturdays.