Overview:
Chesnut Road lies at the heart of the Chesnut Estate in Tottenham Hale in the London Borough of Haringey. As part of the council’s strategic regeneration programme, Marlborough Highways was tasked with creating an attractive urban environment that would act as the primary route for pedestrians on Spurs match days, and for those attending other events at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The works included the creation of a welcoming pocket park that could be enjoyed by residents and visitors to the area.
The Challenge
The new Tottenham Hotspur football stadium was completed in April 2019, ahead of the 2019/20 Premier League season. The landmark £1 billion development replaced the former White Hart Lane stadium, with capacity increased from 36,000 to 62,850. The extra footfall meant added pressure on the local road and rail network and to pedestrian and cycle routes in and around the borough, including to Chesnut Road. Delivered through the Green & Open Spaces Strategy and funded by the Mayor of London’s Regeneration Fund, Haringey Council commissioned Marlborough to transform Chesnut Road from an inaccessible and unattractive thoroughfare, into a welcoming community destination with a dedicated green space.
Works had to be completed in just three months and cause minimum disruption to residents and local businesses. The centre-piece pocket park had to be a space where the community could meet and relax, and there was a need for new leisure facilities, including outdoor gym equipment, a play area, and a scooter track. The use of quality materials was required throughout to ensure both the longevity and the attractiveness of the completed scheme, while public access in and the around area had to be considered throughout, with priority given to walkers and cyclists.
The Solution
Working closely with Haringey Council and in collaboration with local stakeholders, Marlborough revised and improved the Chesnut Road regeneration plans to ensure works could be carried out in a manner that complimented the surrounding environment, while delivering a quality project to time and to budget. Formal progress meetings regularly took place on-site with the client and the scheme designers, which were reinforced by day-to-day conversations at office level, that enabled a flexible response to programme amendments and to ad hoc additional requests.
Works to demolish the brick wall and fencing was quickly carried out, as was the removal of existing surface materials, with the remains disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. When soil testing revealed the existence of a reinforced concrete road base along the full length of the works site, Marlborough employed the innovative solution of incorporating some of the unexpected material into the landscaping. Improvements to the existing drainage network required complex works by highly skilled operatives, while the installation of the leisure equipment and rain gardens soon transformed the area into an attractive space. The entire project was completed ahead of the first game of the new football season, with the well-lit, welcoming Chesnut Road now enjoyed year-round by the local community.
Fact File
Client Haringey Council
Date May – August 2019
Duration 14 weeks
Value £630,000
Project
- Footway/cycleway resurfacing with the creation of a 4.2 metre wide shared surface for pedestrians and cyclists
- Removal of existing surface materials (asphalt and concrete modular paving) and replacement with concrete block paving and decorative granite setts
- Creation of a pocket park including new shrub planting and soft landscaping works
- Introduction of SuDS with rain gardens, a swale and improvements to the existing drainage network
- Demolition of existing brick wall dividing Chesnut Road and Tamar Way, brick planter and fencing around the green areas
- Installation of play equipment and a scooter track
- Improved street lighting including repainting lighting columns
- Installation of bollards and signage
Team
- 1 full time Project Manager
- 1 full time Supervisor
- 1 dedicated Quantity Surveyor
- 8 Marlborough Operatives across all trades
- 4 Specialist Subcontractors
Client savings
- Central to the project’s success was Marlborough’s relationship with local residents and businesses, with the Project Manager attending the quarterly Chesnut Road Residents Association meeting, and progress boards maintained at each end of the site throughout to keep the public up to date with the scheme’s progress.
- The works to remove the discovered concrete from the site were completed within the client budget and continency.
- Marlborough worked with supply chain partners who provided specialist skills or improved value to the London Borough of Haringey, they included organisations recommended by the client.
Quote from client
“Marlborough completed the Chesnut Road Scheme to a high standard. The whole team worked collaboratively with us to overcome numerous unforeseen issues on site and despite these issues still delivered within the tender programme, which was vital for the Client team. Marlborough showed great attention to detail and took a very proactive approach throughout the works. The benefits of the transformation to this space are already being realised by the local and wider community. We’re delighted with the finished scheme, which is a credit to the ability of Marlborough’s team.”
Tracey McGovern, Project Manager, Haringey Council
“One of the things I value most is their very collaborative and transparent team culture. It makes a big difference to have a contractor that wants to work closely with us and is supportive and responsive. With Marlborough, I get a team who are attentive, work collaboratively and honestly with me and don’t lose focus on delivering first class communications and compliance.”
“From the design stage, Marlborough has been fundamental in delivering the Broad Lane Square improvements scheme. During the works, not only did the team manage to keep to the programme, but they went the extra mile to ensure attention to detail and came up with innovative solutions to address issues encountered on site. My thanks on behalf of Haringey goes out to Marlborough for their dedication to deliver.”
“Working alongside our Term Service Contractor Marlborough Highways, we successfully completed renovations to the Crowstone Footbridge. The designs were provided by Marlborough, and the work was unique. The scheme was completed to budget and ahead of its programme duration.”
“I would like to thank you and your team for your efforts, the Marlborough crews were professional, courteous, and hard working all day and ensured the event went without a hitch. You and the team were a credit to the company, demonstrating commitment and support to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.”
“I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Marlborough Highways over the last six months. The quality of work is superb, and there has been some excellent collaboration between Milestone and Marlborough to complete, what at times, has been quite a challenging scheme. I hope to work with Marlborough on another project in the near future.”
“Marlborough worked with us in constructing a 1.3km cycle track. There were a number of technical difficulties to overcome, and their gifted foreman worked to propose some innovative solutions to the challenges we faced. The result is a facility that the locals are proud of, providing walkers and cyclists with alternative access to the hospital and nearby school. The scheme was a lot of hard work, but well worth it.”
“Marlborough attracts people who take care and have pride in their work. Several gangs of Operatives worked tirelessly for six months to reconstruct drainage networks, lay more than 3km of high quality bespoke granite kerbs and granite channels blocks to ensure positive drainage. The technical compliance, attention to detail and level of quality finish along the entire carriageway was exceptional”.
“We saw huge benefits in appointing Marlborough as our full service contractor and we’re impressed – they’ve delivered consistent high quality service and superior quality control across every project. Marlborough, provide us with a ‘one-stop’ shop solution – we get the same quality of service and better control across all aspects of the project.”
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