The Empire

History

The history of Leicester Square rises from the ashes of the Great Fire of London in 1633. Shortly afterwards in 1635, Robert Sidney, the second Earl of Leicester completed a mansion on the site of the Square. Originally built in 1884, the Empire Cinema now occupies the site of the mansion.

Seating over 1300, Screen 1 hosts some of the world’s most prestigious film premieres.

The Project

Bagnall Demolition were commissioned by UCI Cinemas to carry out an Asbestos Management Survey, which identified various asbestos installations – including spray coatings, asbestos insulation board ceilings and cement.

Following the survey, Bagnall carried out all remediation works and programmed asbestos removal work in tightly controlled conditions in accordance with the asbestos licensing regulations.

Flexibility as far as minimising any disruption to the day to day running of the cinema meant that work took place out of hours.

Further restrictions were caused by restricted access through public areas and local parking restrictions, which resulted in a specialised modular decontamination/hygiene unit being erected on the roof. As the Hygiene facility was not directly attached to the working enclosure, a transit system was adopted to remove all contaminated material.

Upon completion, a complete environmental cleansing was carried out prior to an independent analyst performing a visual and air clearance testing.

A subsequent survey has been carried out in order to update the asbestos register, with a management plan being implemented, which will include regular inspections by our survey team.