DARWEN Tower’s dome should be replaced on Friday.
The new dome, built by apprentice engineers at Darwen metal fabricators WEC, has been ready to be put in place for several weeks.
The previous dome was blown off during high winds in November, 2010.
As the dome weighs about 900kg, a special helicopter is required to lift it.
A spokesman for the WEC Group said: “We are pleased to announce that after six weeks of particularly poor weather conditions, it is now deemed safe to airlift the new dome on top of Darwen’s Jubilee Tower.
“Based on the current weather forecast, we are hoping to airlift the dome into place on Friday, around lunchtime.”
Over the past few weeks, WEC has been liaising with Blackburn with Darwen Council about the safest procedure to lift the new structure, which weighs just under a ton.
For health and safety reasons, a cordoned area will be in place around the tower on the day so that the helicopter crew can operate safely.
The Darwen Neighbourhood Police Team will support WEC in this process.
A safe observation point has been agreed, which means that anyone willing to witness the event is welcome to do so.
The new window frames and final touches should be installed before it is reopened to the public on Monday, January 16.
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