Demolition update from PG Group

Posted on by
Reply

The following is the update sent out by PG Group today (25 January 2018)

Update on the demolition works for Westmorland House and Carriageworks

If you made the meeting on the 10th January, you’ll have heard the Wring Group outline their plans for  the demolition programme. If not, here is the latest news:

January has been spent undertaking design works and statutory notifications and they have now been able to confirm they will be on site from 5th February with the retention of the Carriageworks façade is planned for the last two weeks in February. If you have any questions please contact me. Here is the schedule for the next 3-months:

February – March

  • Site set up – including fencing and welfare facilities
  • Undertake environmental clean of site
  • Working with ecologist on vegetation and levelling the ground
  • Installation of facade retention to the Carriageworks. Scaffold protection to Westmoreland House
  • Closure of pedestrian pavement from Carriageworks (by Best Supermarket) to end of Westmorland House FOR APPROX 6 WEEKS ONLY
  • Installation of pedestrian access crossing point by Best Supermarket

Traffic Management: Wrings are currently working closely with Highways to finalise the carriage widths, BUT a two-way traffic flow on Stokes Croft will continue throughout these works and the life of the site.

April

  • Once the facade retention and protection system is in place, the pavement will be reopened with a tunnel to enable pedestrians to pass by the works in safety.
  • On-site demolition, including No 4 Ashley Road will start along with various other buildings on the site, Carriageworks structure – not the facade – and the Westmoreland House building.

Wrings Policy of recycle, reclaim and re-use.
Wring will follow the Demolition and WRAP Protocols in order to recycle, reclaim and re-use as much of the material arising as practical. They will be using the most up to date recycling equipment and most of the recycling operations will be recycled on site to reduce transportation. This recovering and recycling of all types of construction materials from wood to concrete, avoids all but the most essential use of landfill; concrete is crushed into different grades of aggregate, meeting construction needs, metal and timbers are processed, screened and segregated; bulky materials are removed mechanically.

If you have any specific question, please just get in touch with me.

Kind regards

Jenny

Jenny Gee jenny@jennygee.co.uk

Advertisements

Are there cellars below Westmorland House / Carriageworks?

Posted on by
Reply

PG Group (the developers of the site) are trying to establish whether there are any cellars below Westmorland House or the Carriageworks.  With demolition due to start in February this could be critical information.

People likely to know might be builders / surveyors who had dealings with the building, or anyone who used to work at the Regional Pools.

If you have any information do please get in touch with us – ideas@carriageworks.org.uk

Notes of Community Meeting on 10 January 2018

Posted on by
Reply

The meeting with CAG and local residents was attended by representatives of PG Group, Bray and Slaughter and Wring Group.

Timetable

There has been a 4-6 week delay from the previously anticipated January start. Exact timetable is dependent upon many ongoing investigations. Current timetable is roughly:

  • February: Erect site scaffolding to make it secure, protect adjoining properties and prepare for the next steps.  3 – 4 weeks total.
  • March: Demolition of Westmoreland House begins. Demolition is likely to take 16 – 20 weeks. Timescale hard to predict but will be informed by ongoing surveys and investigations.

Surveys

  • During demolition of Westmorland House there will be ongoing investigations into the condition  of the Carriageworks building.
  • Cellars and curtilage extent is being investigated for both buildings
  • Party wall matters are being discussed and drawn up with neighbours
  • Asbestos and other surveys such as contaminated soils will be completed prior to demolition and mitigated.

Site Security, Fencing and Pedestrians

  • Both frontages of the site will be fenced off to 2.5m from the building line but still within the curtilage
  • Pavements will be closed while the scaffolding is being erected
  • When the Carriageworks and Westmorland House façades are stabilised a pedestrian ‘protected tunnel’ will be installed on Stokes Croft under the support system
  • The Ashley Road pavement outside the site will be closed. Pedestrians will use a temporary crossing to the Picton St side of the road then back across at the Cheltenham Road junction
  • Site hoardings are expected to be managed and decorated by local artist community.

Demolition

Contractor: Wring Group Ltd

  • Working Hours are expected to 8am – 5pm winter and 8am – 6pm summer (this applies to both the demolition and construction phases)
  • Plan for services disconnections and reconnections are being drawn up
  • Demolition process will include a ‘Man in the Cage’ approach where Westmorland House is semi-tented and a water shrouded ‘nibbler & cutting’ process used for dismantling the structure
  • The water shroud will minimise the dust and noise footprint to ‘about’ ambient for the area
  • There will be ‘debris shelters’ to protect ‘Tuckets Building’ and other adjacent properties
  • With the exception of any steelwork the majority of demolition spoil will be retained on site for reuse as processed hard core and other uses
  • Due to the recycling of materials only one large truck load a day is expected to leave the site
  • Site clearance of earth to dig down to building levels is subject to separate removal.

Archaeology and Recording

  • If cellars are found they will be left exposed for Party Wall discussion and redesign of the Carriageworks lower floors
  • Archaelogy Surveys will run in parallel with the demolition process. Work will stop when necessary for identification, recording and possible removal
  • Grade 2* listing also applies to other Carriageworks features such as steel columns and cellars.
  • The demolition and building process will be recorded:
    • Salvation Army have granted provision to have a fixed camera mounted on their retaining wall to record progress
    • A Dove Street flats resident is to be asked to have a fixed camera on their balcony rail to record progress.

Traffic Management

  • The greatest period of disruption will be while the scaffolding is going up. During this time, the pavements outside both buildings on Stokes Croft will be closed, and traffic might be controlled by temporary traffic lights
  • Traffic Management during demolition phase is not likely to be a major issue
  • The published Draft Traffic Scheme for Stoke Croft will be subject to revision once  cellar and curtilage investigations are complete
  • Once the scaffolding is erected two-way traffic will be maintained on Stokes Croft during construction and demolition
  • There is an expected loss of two parking bays on the Ashley Road frontage
  • We will aim to keep you updated about all this, as it’s a changing picture.

Architecture

  • Finishes and brickworks selection subject to approval by BCC
  • Peter Westbury (for BCC) will sign off finishes following public consultation
  • A photographic record is complete and on show in The Elemental Café (bakery on corner of Nine Tree Hill and Cheltenham Rd)

Construction

Contractor: Bray and Slaughter

  • Considering a separate specialist historic building sub-contractor for the Carriageworks
  • One large 45m reach Luffing Crane will be located near the centre of the Market Square. It will not over-swing adjacent properties or weathercock with the wind when not in use. Consequently no wayleave to overfly adjoining properites will be required
  • Other Cranes will be a mix of mobile units for the houses and lower elements
  • No information is yet available on concrete mixing and whether this will be on- or off-site
  • Local job creation including new apprenticeships will be managed by Bray & Slaughter and Wrings

Affordable Housing

  • As yet there is no change to the number of units marked as ‘Affordable’ although PG Group have now arranged to meet Council officers to discuss opportunities to use available funds to create additional affordable units
  • It is expected that the ‘Affordable Units’ will be for shared ownership and will be located in a single block
  • Generally all sales will be on an ‘open market’ basis

Cultural Plan

  • By the end of January a Public Art and Cultural Plan must be lodged with Bristol City Council to comply with planning conditions
  • Willis Newsom has been appointed to manage the Cultural Plan
  • When completed (Apr-May 2018) the Community Framework will be presented to the public for consultation
  • The Cultural Plan may inform the Public Art issues
  • The wider area and not just current use of the street of Stokes Croft will inform the Cultural Plan and will be made available for the site sales material
  • A degree of control over the use and business types for the ground floor commercial units and market area will be exercised to reflect the wider cultural influences not just the current use of Stokes Croft

Next Meeting

To be confirmed but expected to be quarterly.

New Year – New Community Meeting – 10 January

Posted on by
Reply

Who’d have believed that we’d be starting the year with positive news about the development of the Carriageworks and Westmoreland House site. Or even, that the development is finally going to happen. Soon! Find out more at a

Community Meeting
Wednesday 10th January
From 6 – 8 pm
At the King Centre, King Square, BS2 8JH

Members of the PG Group team will bring us all up to date about the timetable for the development of the site, and how this will impact on the areas surrounding it. How will the traffic management work? How & when will Westmoreland House (the 1960s tower) be demolished? How will the Carriageworks building be protected? And more. We will also talk about the Cultural Plan – what needs to be considered?

And any other issues you want to raise about this long-awaited development. If there is something you would like to raise, and can’t get to the meeting, please send us an email via: email ideas@carriageworks.org.uk or the CAG website – contact page: http://www.carriageworks.org.uk

We can’t say it enough: together, we have made this happen. Redevelopment schemes have been proposed over the past 20 years. Some even got planning permission. But they never saw the light of day, and the dereliction continued. CAG was formed in 2011, and we have never given up our belief that if we all kept pushing, we would see a development happen. We have all kept going. Members of the Liaison Group have carried on working together, carrying on dialogues with developers, with Council Officers and Councillors. And people living in the communities impacted by the dereliction of the site have continued to come to CAG Community Meetings, continued to ask questions, continued to keep up the pressure to see a development that meets the aspirations of the Community Vision.

We’ve been successful because we’ve worked together and we never gave up. As the scheme develops, we will continue the dialogue, to make sure that the redevelopment of the Carriageworks delivers not just an end to the dereliction but an exemplar scheme in a gateway location.

We hope to see you on January 10th.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year from the CAG Liaison Group

Seasons Greetings from CAG

Posted on by
1

Happy Christmas from everyone at the Carriageworks Action Group.

It’s been quite a year, starting with severe doubts as to whether the site was ever going to be redeveloped, turning into rumours of a new developer, a sudden attempt at evicting the site residents and then confirmation that the PG Group were indeed buying the site. We’ve ended the year with PG in occupation and all the pre-commencement planning conditions underway. We now look forward to demolition of Westmorland House starting early in 2018. What a difference a year makes.

Thank you for all your support through 2017 and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Lori, Prue, Geoff, Jawahar, Janine, Pete, Simon, Hugh and Julian

Community Meeting 10 January

Posted on by
Reply

PG Group will be hosting a Community Meeting on Wednesday 10 January to update on:

  • progress on the site,
  • the timetable for development,
  • proposals for traffic management in the area,
  • proposals for the Cultural Plan.

Venue is the Kings Centre, King Square.  We expect it to be at 6pm but we’ll confirm this closer to the time.

See you there!