Last month Galliford Try Building won the main construction works contract for a £105m build-to-rent development of five tower blocks on an old steelworks site in Leeds.
The main contractor has appointed GHD, an Australian firm with a UK presence, to design the development’s roads, pedestrian walkways and entry and exit points. The GHD team, which has been delivering the project remotely during lockdown, will be responsible for the safe flow of traffic and pedestrians through the development both during and after construction. This includes taking social distancing into account in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
It is a tricky site, bordering the Leeds-Liverpool canal and a Grade II-listed Victorian viaduct of the defunct Leeds-Thirsk railway. Road and pathway design is not simple. The viaduct will form a platform gateway to the flats while the railway arches below will be renovated to provide retail space.
The £105m scheme is set to transform the southwest of Leeds city centre as the former Monk Bridge steelworks site, which has been dormant for over a decade, is redeveloped into a new community with 665 private rented flats, being constructed on behalf of Highline Investments. [See our previous report here.]
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GHD has been a Galliford Try design partner for 15 years, working across a wide variety of projects. Most recently, Galliford Try called upon GHD’s UK Water division to provide design support on Thames Water’s AMP7 capital programmes framework across London and Thames Valley.
GHD project director Victoria Brayshaw said: “The Monk Bridge development in Leeds is a significant scheme that will rejuvenate this long-dormant site in the heart of the city. GHD has previous experience in the area, at Latitude, and we are delighted to be playing a role in transforming the cityscape further. We are committed to creating lasting community benefit through innovative and solution-led urban design, and look forward to applying our expertise and experience to this ambitious project.”
Galliford Try operations manager Sean Sweet added: “We are delighted to have GHD onboard to deliver best-in-class highway design solutions for this project. We have a long and successful history of working with the company, which is why we have entrusted them with this challenging aspect of the development. This is one of the most important construction schemes to have taken place in Leeds city centre in years and so it’s crucial that we have a first class team in place.”
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