It is the end of an era in Swansea as a huge landmark is about to disappear from the skyline. The 3M rainwater tower has overlooked the Penllergaer area of the city for decades and you can see it in the distance as you travel along part of the M4.
But in the last couple of days cranes have moved in to demolish the recognisable structure for good. It comes after the company was granted permission to clear 14 buildings or structures from the old plant at Gorseinon Road. In September 2021 we reported how 3M was to close with the loss of 89 jobs. It had been the American company’s oldest manufacturing facility outside the US.
At the time 3M blamed the move on the site experiencing ongoing underutilisation, saying it had been "impacted by changes in the segments it serves, namely the personal care industry, the collision aftermarket, and vehicle repair centres". It stated its manufacturing operations would move to existing 3M facilities worldwide including Northern Ireland.
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Known as the rainwater tower it has to be tested, emptied, treated, and cleaned accordingly and then demolished and removed. There are also plans to demolish other buildings on the site including what is referred to as a 'bunded storage area', which will be demolished to ground level. Also to go are a solvent tank and its associated structure, a tanker bay and deluge trough, a former solvent valve chamber, water tanks, storage tanks, former aerosols bund and pipework, and a site clubhouse.
An application the company had submitted to Swansea Council asking for permission to carry out the demolition read: "3M are undertaking works to facilitate site closure and divestment and will comprise the decommissioning, demolition, and disposal of redundant site infrastructure in accordance with British Standard."
A spokeswoman for 3M said: “Decommissioning works at the 3M Gorseinon site have been taking place since early July and are scheduled to be completed by the end of September, including dismantling of the water tower. Throughout the works, 3M is endeavouring to keep any noise and inconvenience to local residents to a minimum.”
