When it came to the crunch
31.03.2006
When it was time for the demolition of a disused 150-space underground car park to kick-start a £40 million housing estate rebuilding programme in London on 16 March, main contractor Higgins Construction PLC invited residents to get a first-hand feel of the work.
Asbestosis-victim Jim Veal, who has led the tenants' association pursuit of the six-year rebuilding project, was the first to the take the seat in the 30-tonne Volvo 280's safety cab used by contractor Falcon.
Whilst Falcon is using this to safely pulverise through the car park's 7,500sq m reinforced-concrete podium, which is 18 inches thick, 79-year-old ex-glazier Jim will continue his fight for compensation for what he's certain was mesothelioma contracted during renovations of City commercial properties in the 1970s.
Regeneration contractor Higgins brought in the demolition team at the request of Southern Housing Group, the new owners of the Market Estate. This follows in-depth consultations with residents about the complex rebuilding programme to involve the phased demolition of housing blocks rising to eight storeys and building hundreds of new homes over the next six years.
It is just one early move from a combined programme of projects financed by the £40 million investment to increase the quality of lives, as well as provide even more homes by completely re-shaping the layout.
To enable the project to go ahead, Islington Council agreed to land on the adjacent Caledonian Park be used with the proviso that at the completion of the redevelopment, the acreage of the park should not be reduced.
In return, the wider community will benefit from almost one million pounds being invested in the park to improve accessibility, provide new facilities and increasing its biodiversity.
Stylish new homes totalling exactly 359, designed by HTA Architects to no more than five storeys high and based on a masterplan by Watkins Gray International will be constructed for both affordable-rent and shared ownership with 10 retail properties, following staged demolitions around the park's elaborate 47m-high listed Victorian clock tower.
Residents voted a resounding 88%-"yes" for transfer to Southern Housing Group in July 2004 when the redevelopment plans were proposed, according to project director Stephen Ross:
"This is the very first taste that residents will have of how this challenging workload will impact upon everyday life. We have asked our residents to be prepared for some dramatic action as witnessed today, because that is what it will take to realise the ambitious plans they have backed with their own votes."
Higgins leads a team of specialists that include HTA Architects, Tully De'Ath (structural & civil engineers), ECC as mechanical engineers, Whitelaw Turkington as landscape architects and the Philip Pank Partnership as both cost consultants and employers agent to Southern Housing Group.
Other stakeholders closely involved in the project include Islington Council, Market Estate Tenants & Residents Association (METRA) and the Caledonian Park Users Group (CPUG).
In attendance at the event were councillor Bridget Fox, deputy leader of Islington Council and Tom Dacey, chief executive of Southern Housing Group.
Cllr Bridget Fox, deputy leader of Islington Council, said: "I am delighted to be here with residents to witness this piece of history in the making. The residents of the Market Estate have been completely involved in the proposals for the future of their homes and we are committed to working with them and our partners to make this part of the borough cleaner, safer and better to live in."
www.shgroup.co.uk www.shgmarket.org.uk www.philippank.co.uk www.islington.gov.uk www.wgi.co.uk
31.03.2006
When it was time for the demolition of a disused 150-space underground car park to kick-start a £40 million housing estate rebuilding programme in London on 16 March, main contractor Higgins Construction PLC invited residents to get a first-hand feel of the work.
Asbestosis-victim Jim Veal, who has led the tenants' association pursuit of the six-year rebuilding project, was the first to the take the seat in the 30-tonne Volvo 280's safety cab used by contractor Falcon.
Whilst Falcon is using this to safely pulverise through the car park's 7,500sq m reinforced-concrete podium, which is 18 inches thick, 79-year-old ex-glazier Jim will continue his fight for compensation for what he's certain was mesothelioma contracted during renovations of City commercial properties in the 1970s.
Regeneration contractor Higgins brought in the demolition team at the request of Southern Housing Group, the new owners of the Market Estate. This follows in-depth consultations with residents about the complex rebuilding programme to involve the phased demolition of housing blocks rising to eight storeys and building hundreds of new homes over the next six years.
It is just one early move from a combined programme of projects financed by the £40 million investment to increase the quality of lives, as well as provide even more homes by completely re-shaping the layout.
To enable the project to go ahead, Islington Council agreed to land on the adjacent Caledonian Park be used with the proviso that at the completion of the redevelopment, the acreage of the park should not be reduced.
In return, the wider community will benefit from almost one million pounds being invested in the park to improve accessibility, provide new facilities and increasing its biodiversity.
Stylish new homes totalling exactly 359, designed by HTA Architects to no more than five storeys high and based on a masterplan by Watkins Gray International will be constructed for both affordable-rent and shared ownership with 10 retail properties, following staged demolitions around the park's elaborate 47m-high listed Victorian clock tower.
Residents voted a resounding 88%-"yes" for transfer to Southern Housing Group in July 2004 when the redevelopment plans were proposed, according to project director Stephen Ross:
"This is the very first taste that residents will have of how this challenging workload will impact upon everyday life. We have asked our residents to be prepared for some dramatic action as witnessed today, because that is what it will take to realise the ambitious plans they have backed with their own votes."
Higgins leads a team of specialists that include HTA Architects, Tully De'Ath (structural & civil engineers), ECC as mechanical engineers, Whitelaw Turkington as landscape architects and the Philip Pank Partnership as both cost consultants and employers agent to Southern Housing Group.
Other stakeholders closely involved in the project include Islington Council, Market Estate Tenants & Residents Association (METRA) and the Caledonian Park Users Group (CPUG).
In attendance at the event were councillor Bridget Fox, deputy leader of Islington Council and Tom Dacey, chief executive of Southern Housing Group.
Cllr Bridget Fox, deputy leader of Islington Council, said: "I am delighted to be here with residents to witness this piece of history in the making. The residents of the Market Estate have been completely involved in the proposals for the future of their homes and we are committed to working with them and our partners to make this part of the borough cleaner, safer and better to live in."
www.shgroup.co.uk www.shgmarket.org.uk www.philippank.co.uk www.islington.gov.uk www.wgi.co.uk
Comments