Algeco supports reinstatement of Matlock flood defences

Making sure construction work keeps to schedule is essential on all projects. In the case of river defence work at Matlock, it was even more so because of the potential for the town centre to be deluged during the next winter storm.

A critical element of beginning the schedule as planned is having availability of site cabins to provide welfare facilities for workers, office space, meeting rooms and storage facilities. The Matlock project demonstrates just how important this can be in helping contractors meet strict project timescales.

The historic town of Matlock had been left vulnerable to repeat flooding as a result of damage to the river embankment caused by a series of storms in early 2022. Following one of these storm events in February, a 20 metre section of riverside wall collapsed resulting in a pressing need for the defences to be rebuilt and strengthened before the 2023 winter. Time was a critical factor throughout this project, starting with the need for rapid deployment of site cabins.

Even before the main remediation work had commenced, a team led by Jackson Civil Engineering carried out emergency works to protect properties following the riverside wall collapse. Severe surface water flooding in early 2022 resulted in many businesses on Bakewell Road being deluged.

Following a tendering process, Jackson Civil Engineering was subsequently appointed as the main contractor by the Environment Agency to rebuild the flood defences. They approached our hire team with a requirement for rapid deployment of site cabins. The two key criteria were that the units had to be deployed quickly so work could begin on site at the earliest opportunity - a short construction schedule was required on this project in order to complete as much work during the summer months when the river level was lower. The second requirement was the quality of the site cabins had to reflect Jackson’s commitment to staff welfare and quality ethos.

Jackson was required to construct a replacement flood wall that extends from the 20m failure zone down towards Matlock Bridge. To enable the construction of a replacement flood wall, temporary alterations were made to the nearby 15th century Matlock Bridge to allow two-way traffic over it for up to 18 months.

Jackson specified Algeco site cabins because our hire team was able to provide a rapid turnaround, helped by the fact that we hold stock at Algeco branches based around the country. Our cabins for hire are available as full turnkey solutions including fitting and furniture. Jackson is well known for being considerate constructors, which is key in such a bustling town centre site like Matlock. This extends to the welfare provision for Jackson staff. As a result, our modules were supplied with furniture, canteen pack, even down to the microwave and kettles!

Alongside the strict construction schedule at Matlock, this was an unusual project because our site cabins were positioned in a part of the car park at Matlock train and bus interchange, due to a lack of space around the river work area. It’s one of the reasons why we recommended a double-stacking of the site cabin to make optimum use of available space. The two-storey site cabins in a U-shape arrangement helped minimise space taken in the train station carpark and without disruption to the local community. 

Algeco provided seven site cabins for this project and these were used by Jacksons for secure storage units, gatehouse, smoking shelter, offices, meeting room, changing rooms and toilet block. We also supplied the furniture and fire protection equipment on this project, which is now a standard offering for all our hire units. The temporary site cabins will be on hire for approximately 12 months.

Our site cabins were delivered exactly to schedule and handed over as a turnkey solution in June. As a result, the construction team were able to begin work in early summer as planned. Enabling work started in early June involving temporary alterations to Matlock Bridge to reinstate two-way traffic for a period. The main construction work will be delivered in multiple phases and the aim is to have the bulk of the engineered solution in place before this winter.

Work will continue in stages throughout 2023 to make the engineered solution look more aesthetically pleasing and in-keeping with the local character and heritage of Matlock. Our site cabins will be utilised for the duration of the project.

Another unusual aspect of this project was a lack of landward access to the river from behind Crown Square in Matlock. That meant that the Jackson team had to use an 800-ton crane – named ‘Lifty McShifty’ in a local competition - to lift materials into the work area.

Using the transport interchange as a base for the site cabins meant that there was minimal disruption to the traffic flowing in and out of the town centre. Our cabins provide safe office and welfare accommodation for the construction teams.

This project illustrates how having quality site accommodation when you need it and within the parameters of a live town centre can make a huge difference to overall outcomes. One factor that really helped at Matlock was the experience and knowledge of our team. Working with tight deadlines and maximising the space available, they created efficient and practical site accommodation for Jackson.

Paul Robinson, General Foreman at Jackson, summed it up perfectly when he said: “Algeco devised a very effective solution around our site accommodation requirements, and we found the whole process of dealing with the company refreshingly straightforward.”

Find out more about our temporary site cabins here: https://www.algeco.co.uk/temporary/portable-buildings