Bishop's Stortford North Infrastructure P1

Bishop’s Stortford North Infrastructure P1

Bishop Stortford North Infrastructure P1

  • Client:

    Bishop’s Stortford North Consortium

  • Location:

    Bishop Stortford, Hertfordshire

  • Sector:

    Infrastructure & Highways

  • Project Value:

    £7 Million

Services:

Highways and Infrastructure Sewer Pumping Station Storm and Foul Water Drainage Bulk Earthworks Bridge Infrastructure

Project Scope

  • Construction of S278 roundabout on the existing A120
  • 100,000m3 of cut/fill earthworks
  • 3.6 diameter 9m deep wet well/pump station and compound
  • 2.1 diameter 9m deep Weholite foul attenuation tanks
  • 2km large diameter storm and foul drainage
  • Off-site rising main installation
  • 1.5km of distributer road to service land parcels and school

Project Overview

Over the past years, a number of developers have carried out background technical studies on 320 acres of land located on the outskirts of Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire. The developers have combined their land interests into a single company, The Bishop’s Stortford North Consortium.  

The Consortium comprises four of the UK’s leading housebuilders, Bovis Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Kier Living, together with a strategic land promotion company, The Fairfield Partnership. It was formed to comprehensively plan this important site and ensure that all necessary supporting infrastructure, such as schools, parks and community facilities, and highways and public transport improvements, can be delivered alongside the new homes.

ECL was appointed by the Consortium as the Principal Contractor on May 2022 to support the expansive infrastructure for the Eastern stage of the project. 

The consented scheme will provide up to 2,200 new homes, two Local Centres and Primary Schools, and around 59 ha of multifunctional greenspace and landscape habitats.

Project Challenges

Earthworks & material movements across existing brook (IDB asset) SOLUTION: Installation of temporary Bailey bridge across brook. All works to be constructed whilst maintaining the current haul road access across the site & all other contractors. SOLUTION: Installation of haul road diversions, traffic management plans, briefings & regular consortium meetings to ensure all logistics are planned, and all parties are aware. Arboricultural & ecological constraints applied to large areas of the site due to the importance of Hoggets Woodland, restricting work areas and plant size. SOLUTION: Tree and root protection measures installed. Working alongside the designer to overcome design clashes with woodland. Working around budget setts whilst maintaining programme sequenced to completion date.

Project Outcome

Our team provided an alternative product solution to the designers specification for the pond liners, which saved the client £90,000 whilst delivering the same performance properties and design life. In addition, we successfully delivered the stakeholder management plan throughout the project, ensuring continual operational access to existing construction development. We also triumphantly worked around the ancient woodland and ecological constraints, maintaining the planned completion to programme by resequencing works operations and increasing resources where critical activities were affected.

 

Works started in July 2021. We have paid particular attention to satisfy discharge of all of the Arboricultural requirements by applying tree protection measures, including protective fencing and restrictions to the extent of topsoil stripping, highlighting the construction exclusion zones and those trees to be retained.

A major factor of this project was to ensure our works were managed in accordance with the Arboricultural and ecological constraints surrounding Hoggets Woodland and Brooke.

To achieve this,  we installed tree and root protection systems, using equipment and techniques to excavate around the roots to avoid causing undue stress or damage to the trees.

We also installed temporary bridges to enable construction movements across Hoggets Brooke without impacting the area’s biological diversity and protective species.  

 

 

When design conflicts materialised mid-project, because badger setts were found inhabiting the woodland, the ECL team quickly stepped in to work with the designer to adapt the programme safely around the badger setts without affecting the programme sequence or delivery date.

On the infrastructure side, our haul road diversion and transport management strategy have been highly successful.

Our phased approach, removing sections of the haul road as soon as permanent sections of the carriageway were complete, has allowed for the road’s construction whilst maintaining all the construction traffic to the Western Neighbourhood.    

It’s, without a doubt, the well-managed traffic and logistics for this project are down to our communications approach and the great relationships we have formed with Ellipse, the consortium, and the wider team.

ECL is currently on schedule to complete this project at the end of July 2022, and, subject to further planning permission, the whole of the British Stortford North development is due for completion in 2026.

 

 

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