November Project Update

November 2022

We’ve started a big indoor sports facility project at Welland Park Academy in Market Harborough, which is expected to last six months. Working alongside consultancy firm S2E, which is a first for us, we have also recruited a new site manager to lead the team. As well as doing a fantastic job taking hundreds of photographs so we can document our progress, he has had to deal with unforeseen complications from the start with foul mains water, issues with the electrical supply and torrential rain flooding the clay soil, all of which he managed expertly.

We’ve got past the stage of digging foundations into the greenfield site, pouring concrete, setting in the holding down bolts, redirecting the flood drainage, installing a soak away, laying down the Terram weed-control fabric and have reached the point where the steel frames are up and the purlin is ready to attach the cladding, so it’s all taking shape. Ingeniously, we used plastic sheets on the inside of the wood shuttering to prevent the concrete from sticking, which allows the wood to be reused again. It’s exciting when we find new ways of advancing our processes to be more sustainable!

We may have mentioned it once or twice in recent weeks but when it comes to the industrial sector, all our clients are looking for temporary warehouse solutions, that are quick to build, adaptable, cost-effective and come with a flexible rental agreement. It goes without saying that they have come to us because they also want high-quality and the option of their warehouse structure becoming a more permanent solution.

Grant engineering UK Ltd are in the process of moving to alternative premises in Swindon from Devizes and need some additional space (6m x 25m x 4.6m) to hold goods and machinery while they become familiar with their new site layout, organise the warehouse and continue to be fully operational. We’re installing a fabric-covered structure in the overspill car-park and have had to bring in concrete blocks to build on as the paver bricks already there are not structural.

Ground works are in progress to start on the new glulam indoor football facilities for Swindon Town Community Foundation, which are intended to provide a safe environment for more vulnerable groups to enjoy playing football all year round and bring the local community together.

The demand to play padel far exceeds the number of public courts available in the UK. For those who cannot wait for sports clubs to catch up, the solution is to build a padel tennis court in their garden so they can play whenever they want. That is exactly what we’re doing for one client at the moment, inclusive of a new 75m patio and pathway. We’re also upgrading their existing 40 year old tennis court, removing soft spots, installing new play net posts and replacing old, expensive, non-eco halogen lights for the latest LED light fittings.

We’ve removed the 40 year old astroturf grass to make way for the latest playing surface but, rather than it going to landfill (old synthetic grass isn’t currently being recycled), we’re reusing some of it around our own yard and the rest is going to a local farmer to provide a walkway to his slurry pit. It’s more expensive for us to roll up and transport but ultimately much, much better for the environment!

And finally, archaeologists have finished their investigations at the Moray Sports Centre and we are about to head up to Elgin in Scotland to set up our site compound, ready to get started on the new indoor tennis centre.