MORE than 100 years of shipbuilding history in Southampton is set to come crashing down to earth as demolition teams get to work on the old VT site.

The work, which has already begun, will forever change the familiar shape of the city skyline.

Two 32-tonne gantry cranes, which have long been a fixture on the riverside, are to be taken down and shipped to Cowes on the Isle of Wight where they will be used by the marine industry.

Nearly all the other buildings on the site will go except a few key structures, which will be re-used. Bosses aim to recycle 6,500 tonnes of steel and cladding from the site.

Authorities say they have been carefully planning to ensure the work doesn't damage quality of life for Woolston residents or nearby wildlife.

The South East England Development Agency, which bought the site for £15m, says demolition is the first step to a dramatic planned redevelopment.

It comes as a public consultation on the plans for the site, which includes a mixture of 1,500 homes and marine industry, gets under way today.

Officials will be available to talk about the project as part of a public consultation in the Community Hall of the St Mark's Institute in Victoria Road, Woolston, between noon and 8pm today and tomorrow between 9am and noon.

The Woolston Riverside site was home to VT, formerly Vosper Thornycroft, for a century of shipbuilding. All that came to an end earlier this year when the company vacated its historic home for a new factory in Portsmouth.

A spokesman for the city council said: "Shipbuilding has long been a part of the city and VT's departure will certainly change the skyline of the city along the banks of the river Itchen.

''But what will emerge after a few years will be a development of world-class significance, which will combine both marine industry and housing while giving people the chance to visit and use the waterfront for the first time in over 100 years."