Client: Darlington Borough Council - Demolition Phase of Darlington Station Gateway Project

Value: £5m+

Project Description

As part of the Darlington Gateway and Multi storey car park project, a number of old, unoccupied builds need to be demolished. The project is viewed as crucial to enable growth for the local area. The multi storey car park will be built over the new station building and will offer secure parking for 600 cars and electric car charging point.

A&N’s Role

A&N were appointed to carry out Principal Designer duties for the proposed demolition phase of the work. An initial site visit was carried out to consider any factors that would need to consider in the planning of the demolition work. A&N reviewed and advised on all preconstruction information this included Asbestos Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys, structural surveys, ecology surveys and existing service information. This information was collated into the Pre-Demolition Information Pack and the CDM Hazard and Risk Register. Following this a prestart design meeting was held to discuss the health and safety risks involved in the project and to develop strategies to close these out. A&N closely worked with the project team throughout the project and developed an excellent working relationship to ensure that all the safety risks or hazards mentioned during the early stages were closed out ensure the project ran as smoothly as possible. Frequent site visits were carried out and regular communication was maintained with the design team to ensure any issues were resolved quickly.

Challenges & Risk Management

• The existing site was a busy area of Darlington Town Centre, Neasham Road is a main route into the town centre. It was essential to carefully manage and control the traffic management throughout the project.
• The existing buildings contained a significant amount of Asbestos Containing Materials. A competent Asbestos Removal Consultant was appointed, all risk assessments and safe systems of work were reviewed by A&N before work commenced.
• There was a risk of unintended collapse of the building. Therefore, the demolition process was phased to minimise the risk of this, and a Structural Engineer was consulted.
• Dust generated from the demolition work can be hazardous to construction workers and members of the public. Effective methods were used to control the amount of dust and protect the patients, staff and environment at the site.
• There were ecology concerns to be considered during the project, all recommendations of the Ecologist were implemented into the planning of the work.