Event Detail : 03 June 2008

Robert McAlpine Ltd

On 3rd June Derek Leedham gave a talk to the forum on the Princesshay development in Exeter.  Mr Leedham (who now works in the Property Management Division of Drew Pearce) was Project Liaison Manager for Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd on the Princesshay development between March 2005 and November 2007.  He provided an interesting “contractor’s eye view” of the development.

 

In approximately 2000 the decision was made for the Princesshay development to go ahead.  (Interestingly, in 2001 a survey published by Dunn and Bradstreet showed Exeter as the third best location in the UK.)

 

Mr Leedham explained that one of the major issues the developers had to deal with in the early stages of the project was that of the significant archaeological interest within the confines of the development area.  A lot of pre-planning and co-ordination was required to deal with this.  The work of the archaeologists had to be phased with the rest of the work so the various stages fitted together.  40 archaeologists arrived on site in July 2005 and completed their work in March 2006.  A public viewing area was created and this attracted 3,000 visitors a week.

 

Mr Leedham described the layout of the development (with the help of slides) which consists of:

 

            Groundfloor -   60 retail units - Shops and Restaurants

 

            1st floor –             Residential units in Bedford Street

At the back of Debenhams (Roman Walk) – low cost and private units

The Post Office in Bedford Street

Restaurants

 

            2nd floor – Upper levels of shop units   

                                    Roof levels

                                    Residential units

 

As far as weather protection is concerned the development is completely covered in at the upper end and in the link to Broadwalk but canapies have been used in the lower part of Princesshay to allow views of the Cathedral.

 

Broadwalk house gardens and the city wall area were also redeveloped as part of the project.  Independent shops took over the units in Roman Walk and the city wall became more of a feature as a result.  During the development of this part of the site, the vibration sensors were regularly being triggered, for no apparent reason, during the hours when work had ceased on site.  Further investigation revealed that this was due to the increased activity of the rats in the medieval tunnels under this part of the site!

 

Mr Leedham set out the timetable of the development.  Work started in January 2005 and by August 2005 the demolition of existing buildings had been completed.  In September 2005 Catherine Square and the Almshouses were opened by Land Securities and in December 2006 the Debenhams building was handed over to Debenhams.  By April 2007 the Bedford Street units were trading and by Autumn 2007 the scheme was fully trading.

 

Mr Leedham described the many challenges they had in developing this particular site.  It was the most restricted site he has ever come across and due to the central position of the site and it’s proximity to other businesses several considerations had to be taken into account.  For instance, they used silent methods of piling and construction wherever possible and, although 50,000 cubic metres of soil were removed from the site, they were very careful to make sure deliveries were carefully scheduled and truck sizes monitored.  To aid this they used the bus garages in the bus station during the day to store deliveries.  Another challenge was presented by the very poor record of underground services installed in a hurry after the war.  In addition, it was crucial to maintain public access as the building continued as well as to maintain public perception of normality and this turned out to be a major challenge.

 

An environmental “Construction Level Environmental Plan” was put together with Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd at the tender stage and this had to be maintained throughout the project.

 

As far as liaison was concerned, communication was vital at all levels with all parties involved, including Exeter City Council, the Highways, the Environment Agency and surrounding businesses. 

 

Mr Leedham provided some interesting facts and figures in relation to the project:

 
  • During the project there were 5 tower cranes covering the site. 
  • 14,000 cubic metres of concrete were poured.
  • 5,750 tonnes of steelwork was erected.
  • Peak labour force was approximately 250 (basebuild – 500)
  • At fit out stage – the labour force was employed by the retailers but managed by Land Securities.  (It was crucial as part of this process to make sure there was a good induction process in place in relation to behaviour and Health & Safety.).
  • 43,000 tonnes of demolition material was crushed by an on-site crusher during the works.
  • 80% of the material from the site was recycled. 
 

Mr Leedham believed that the key factors to the success of the project were:

 

Ø      A thoroughly prepared plan.

Ø      Structured communication throughout.

Ø      A practical logistics procedure throughout.

Ø      Good operative management.

Ø      A willingness to react to issues.

 

A question from the floor was “what lessons can be learnt from the project?”, to which Mr Leedham replied (a) to appoint a Liaison Manager at an early stage of the project and (b) to reduce muck away as much as possible.