GE had submitted a Notice of Intent to demolish several vacant buildings and a Site Plan approval from the City of Peterborough. A Heritage Impact Assessment for the City Council's review has also been given.
Last year, GE Vernova retained the Canadian engineering firm BBA to assess the condition of the unused buildings. The evaluation found that these old manufacturing buildings are at or past their useful service life and in poor condition.
“Most of these buildings have already begun to show signs of structural degradation, which could create a future safety risk if not managed properly now,” as stated in a GE Vernova press release. “After careful consideration of the options, GE Vernova has determined that the best course of action is to demolish them.”
The company has a plan to preserve the legacy that the site has maintained.
“GE Vernova also understands the significance this property holds for many members of the community, and wishes to honour its past, present, and future commitment to the Peterborough community,” according to a statement. “In recognition of this, the company is working with ERA Architects, an award-winning Canadian architecture firm, to stabilize, conserve and maintain eight buildings that are architecturally important and represent meaningful time periods in the history of the site.”
The company states that it is considering the best way to commemorate the site's history in the long term, while making aesthetic enhancements to the property’s perimeter.
GE plans to work with the City to minimize neighbourhood disruptions during the transitional period.
