Our house is weird and has an upstairs lounge. This has the only
fireplace in the house. I am in the process of removing the fireplace
and I have already removed the surround and made the walls good etc

On the floor I have encountered a large concrete slab that goes all
around the fireplace (hearth).
It is resting on the floor joists, and is about 1.5" thick, and a
metre'ish long.

I need to get rid of it and I can see only 4 choices.
1) Use an angle grinder with stone cutting disk to cut it off "flush"
to the wall. This will create a lot of mess I know.
2) Use an SDS hammer drill to break the slab up. Again more mess.
3) Cutback the floorboards that butt up to the slab and then try and
pull it free in one piece. Will that be possible or will it be
cemented in position?
4) Somehow try and disguise it - i.e. a screed applied over the
floorboards to try and "equalise" the levels. This one feels a bit of
a bodge though?

Has anyone else faced this problem? The house is 17years old.

Regards
Marc