The redevelopment of Kingston-upon-Thames, one of the south of England’s foremost retail town centres, has required the skills of Surrey-based demolition specialist Southern Demolition Co. Ltd.

Southern Demolition Co. Ltd (SDC), the Surrey-based demolition contractor, is helping to forge the latest phase in the ongoing redevelopment of Kingston-upon-Thames, one of the south of England’s foremost retail town centres.   The demolition of a three-storey, former office block sandwiched between a busy railway line, a three-lane one-way system, and the newly-redeveloped Rotunda retail and leisure complex has called upon all of SDC’s experience to ensure minimal disruption to pedestrians, local business and both road and rail traffic.

Surrounded on All Sides

In a recent (although pre-recession) survey, Kingston residents were estimated to have one of the highest levels of disposable incomes in the UK.   Certainly, the proliferation of high-end retail outlets, restaurants and bars along the town’s Thames waterfront proclaim Kingston’s affluence.

But the town is changing.   In recent years, the town has been undergoing a radical redevelopment that has seen the opening of the impressive Bentall  Centre and the nearby Rotunda.   The latest phase of this redevelopment is taking place literally metres from the Rotunda and, more importantly, metres from the town’s busy railway station that provides fast links to London for local residents; and is the primary route taken by shoppers visiting the town.

“On the face of it, this is a very straightforward contract to dismantle and demolish a 4,000 m², three-storey, 1960s building,” says SDC’s Paul Hunt.   “But the site is bounded on one side by a busy three-lane one-way system and the Rotunda, and on another by the railway line and station.  In addition, the planners asked us to remove and retain the 1960’s sculpture fitted to the front elevation for reuse in the new build.”

Numerous Challenges

One of the first challenge facing Hunt and the SDC team on the 10-week contract – which clears the way for a new development of student accommodation - was the presence of asbestos within the building’s structure.   “The building was erected in the 60s and was littered with asbestos in the form of: AIB debris, cement sheeting, textured coatings, and the bane of demolition contractors  floor tiles and bitumen,” Hunt explains.   “In addition to handling the asbestos removal in the appropriate manner, we used specialist floor planes with proprietary dust extraction equipment  for the asbestos bitumen removal."

Equally challenging was the need for temporary traffic management and control measures alongside the site.   “The office block was located very close to a bridge that carried trains over a busy road that sweeps round past the Rotunda and which is also used by countless buses arriving at the adjacent bus station,” Hunt continues.   “To allow us sufficient room to work and to provide pedestrians with an exclusion zone, new traffic markings were put in place under a night time lane closure, along with an extensive hoarding which had to be bolted down to prevent damage to the road.Large, 10-metre wide gates were installed to provide access for lorries and machines.   I couldn’t believe the amount of traffic outside the site even at 10pm at night, at one point we had to remove the temporary lane closure to get the traffic free flowing again.”

The primary demolition work is being undertaken by a 58 tonne Liebherr 944 high reach excavator equipped with a 3.5 tonne MBI multi-system attachment, supported by a smaller Hitachi EX200 excavator equipped with a bucket or pulveriser.   The third key item of equipment on the site is a 700 Series Bobcat skid steer loader that is charged with rehandling arisings on the site.  

“During the planned 10-week duration of the contract, we’re anticipating approximately 230 vehicle movements removing arisings from the site,” Paul Hunt concludes.   “However, more than 90 percent of arisings will be recycled or re-used.   Given the volume of waste classified as hazardous due to the presence of asbestos, that’s a pretty good level of recycling and is in keeping with our environmental credentials (ISO 14001).”

 

Press Release prepared by Mark Anthony Publicity.  Tel:  0871 223 0390