AGEING asbestos sheeting will be removed from the roof and awnings of the Cooleman Court shopping centre over coming weeks, the centre’s owner Mirvac Group has announced.

During this period workers in specialist personal protective equipment will be on the roof removing asbestos sheeting. There will also be after-hours work to remove similar materials from the external awnings and eaves.

Centre manager Keith Woodman said: “Customers and tenants can be assured that works accessible by the public will be undertaken well outside the centre’s trading hours.

“At the conclusion of works each day and prior to the centre opening each morning, the works site will be inspected by Robson Environment to ensure complete public safety.

“The inspection process includes the placement of air-monitoring equipment adjacent to all works areas to record air quality throughout the project.”

The Weston centre, built in the late ‘70s, was constructed in part with bonded asbestos sheeting that, over redevelopment works in recent years, has been largely removed.

However, the roof and some external awnings remain “as-built” and, Mirvac says, while this poses no safety risk it has decided to have the asbestos removed.

The work will be done by CD Commercial Projects, and Robson Environmental will ensure that the process is compliant with all regulatory requirements and best-practice procedures.