And the walls came tumbling down.
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Demolition work on the Food for Less site is well underway.
The building has been vacant since 2012. It operated for some 40 years as a supermarket on the site.
Demolition experts Drumderg Services, based in the Hunter Valley, are contracted to undertake the works.
On-site project manger Steven Fam says the demolition work is progressing well.
"We are still on track to complete this job before Christmas," he said.
"Our process was to create access to the site so we can safely load materials and bring heavier machinery onto the site.
"Now this is complete, we can start getting material off site without affecting traffic or neighbouring cars in the car park.
"We are now fully into the structural demolition stage."
Mr Fam reiterated that any hazardous materials will be remediated
"People can rest assured that any hazardous materials are being taken care of. This is a low risk demolition," he added.
The demolition manager said work would be coordinated to ensure minimal impact on businesses and people.
"We want people to have access to all their car parking sites," he added.
He said the company could also approach council to extend their operational hours to minimise impact during demolition.
The owner of the site, Woolworths, is yet to confirm its plans for the site once demolition is complete.
Since being vacant, the site has attracted graffiti artists, while there has been at least two reported fires at the site.
Mr Fam confirmed that once demolition is complete, the site will be fenced off.
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