Red Road implosion dropped from Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The BBC is reporting that Commonwealth Games organisers have dropped the demolition of the Red Road flats from the Glasgow 2014 opening ceremony.
Five of the blocks were to be brought down at the start of the Games in July.
The plan proved controversial, with an online petition against the demolition gathering more than 17,000 signatures.
Glasgow 2014 said opinions being expressed about “safety and security” meant the destruction of the flats would not now feature in the opening.
Police Scotland said that because of these concerns the security director for the Games asked the chairman of the Glasgow 2014 board to reconsider the plan.
The 30-storey structures were built in the mid 1960s and the original eight tower blocks housed more than 4,000 people. The demolitions will now be rescheduled.
Opponents had questioned the message the demolition would send and described the plans as insensitive to former residents as well as asylum seekers currently living in the sixth block.
In a statement, Games chief executive David Grevemberg said: “We made it clear from the outset the absolute priority was safety and that this event would only happen during the opening ceremony if it was safe to do so.
“Over the past few days it has become clear that opinions have been expressed which change the safety and security context.
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