Amazing scenes as high level workers dismantle Winerack tower crane

The £26m Winerack development at Ipswich Waterfront is on track for completion by Christmas .

For years the shell of the building remained as a reminder of the recession, when work ceased on the site overnight.

The skeletal structure became known as the Wine Rack, and now it has been given the Winerack name.

The revival of the 150 apartment home development is making swift progress.

A giant mobile crane arrived on the Albion Wharf site to dismantle the crane which has been towering over the site during the building project.

There were amazing scenes today, with people stopping working nearby to watch, as high level workers clambered on the tower crane and prepared it for sections to be lowered carefully to the ground.

It is a slow, deliberate process high above ground level.

The removal of the tower crane is an important landmark for the project.

A spokesman for RG Carter said: "The tower crane is being removed over the next few days, due to the now completion of the roofs and facades of the building, which will then allow the progression of the hard landscaping to commence.

"A 500 tonne mobile crane has arrived at The Winerack at Albion Wharf in Ipswich, to start the removal of the tower crane from site, which has been used to construct these luxury apartments for Ipswich Wharf Developments, over the past year."

Developer John Howard said: "This is a significant landmark for the project.

"We are on course for completion by Christmas.

"We are very pleased. We have got people moving in already and we have several more apartments under offer. We have already completed a number of sales."

The Winerack development includes four apartment blocks, and stand-alone Q3, by the quayside was the first to be completed and put on sale.

Mr Howard said builders RG Carter had completed and handed over Quarter 4, which is another 24 one and two bedroom apartments, and they are now for sale.

"They are all with river views and balconies and are over nine floors.

"This is an important landmark for the project as a whole.

"The crane coming down is a visible mark of the progress of the development."

Nearby business people have welcomed the project. David `Wes' Westwood, skipper of the barge Victor at the quayside, said: "It is a big step forward for the area and it will be even better when it is occupied. It has stood empty for too long.

"It is all about investing in the future of the area."

Caterer David Guays, who stopped to watch the action, said: "It is absolutely fantastic to see it all coming together,

"The Waterfront has got to be a good area for people to live and to work.

"It is something different that other places do not have.

"It is a big investment in the place for the future and it is what we need in Ipswich.

"We need positive thoughts and action in the town."

Coffee shop owner Kie Humphreys added: "It signifies the end of the recession in the town.

"It is really good news for the businesses and the owners down here. It brings another 130 plus people living down here.

"It has been really impressive how that enormous crane has been working on such a tight site."