Delays and cost hikes hit Balfour Highlands rail job
Balfour Beatty has been forced to push-back the completion date of its £16m contract to repair the UK’s highest railway.
The Scottish Government’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) agency has confirmed the Cairngorm furnicular will not reopen until the “second half of 2022.”
The railway at the ski resort was due to reopen early next year following strengthening work on the 1.9km viaduct that supports the track.
Balfour began work in April 2021 but delays have arisen due to “technical challenges associated with designing and implementing effective solutions to an existing structure, as opposed to a new build.”
Work has also been hampered by the impact of Covid and extreme weather including blizzard conditions in the spring.
HI added that “extra effort has also been required to source vital construction materials that are currently in short supply across the UK.”
HIE interim chief executive Carroll Buxton said: “We’ve always been upfront in describing the reinstatement programme as one of the most complex and difficult civil engineering projects in Scotland.
“As well as managing technical challenges, the team has to take great care to protect the mountain environment, and deal with difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions that can quickly become hazardous.
“The original schedule was very ambitious, even without the impacts of the pandemic lasting as long as they have and before the more recent problems in sourcing construction materials of suitable quality.
“With limited time available to complete these works before winter, postponement has become inevitable.”
The funicular was built by Morrison Construction and opened in 2001 but was taken out of service in 2018 after an engineers’ inspection identified structural defects that raised safety concerns.
Buxton said: “We’re now working with our designers and contractors on a revised schedule for the remainder of the project.
“Harsh mountain conditions mean that all work will need to halt over winter and resume next spring. To ensure safety, there also needs to be a period of testing and certification at the end of the programme, so our current expectation is that the funicular can be relaunched in autumn 2022.
“Clearly, a longer timescale will also have a financial impact. We’ll be reviewing costs very carefully and will publicly confirm a revised budget as soon as it’s possible to do so.”
HIE has also approved up to £780,000 for an extensive refurbishment of the Ptarmigan building that sits on the plateau and includes the UK’s highest restaurant, a shop, exhibition space and viewing platforms.
Following competitive tender, resort operator Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd (CMSL) has awarded a contract for the first phase of the Ptarmigan works to Simpson Builders Ltd, based in Beauly. The refurbishment is due to start at the end of August and be completed by the end of 2021.
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18 firms win £220m Yorkshire civils framework
Eighteen regional contractors have secured places on a civil engineering framework for the seven councils forming the Yorkshire Highways Alliance including North Yorkshire County Council
The works for complete or part construction and civil engineering work will predominantly take place on bridges and the highway network.
Potential works include: resurfacing, reconstruction, slurry sealing, drainage and kerbing, repairs to bridges, retaining walls and culverts.
Civil Engineering Contractors Framework 2021
Projects £2m+ in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Eric Wright Civil Engineering; Fox (Owmby); Jackson Civil Engineering Group; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects £500k – £2m in North Yorkshire, York, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield.
C.R. Reynolds; Colas; Dyer & Butler; Fox (Owmby); Galliford Try Construction; I & H Brown; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction
Projects: up to £500k – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds & Wakefield
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction); Thomas Bow;
Projects: up to £500k – North Yorkshire & York
A E Yates; C.R. Reynolds; Cheetham Hill Construction; Hinko Construction; Howard Civil Engineering; JN Bentley; PBS Construction (North East); Rainton Construction; Seymour Civil Engineering Contractors; Thomas Armstrong (Construction)
Plan for major Leeds high-rise student and events scheme
Developer Downing will submit ambitious plans in the autumn for a major student accommodation and events scheme in Leeds city centre, adjacent to the Leeds First Direct Arena.
It will seek detailed planning consent for purpose-built student accommodation across two separate but adjacent plots, and outline planning to develop a multi-purpose events space, which would be taken forward at a future date by Leeds City Council.
A 38-storey purpose-built student tower is planned for Merrion Way featuring 728 student bedrooms in a mix of six-bedroom and 296 studios.
High-rise building proposed for site fronting Clay Pit Lane, Merrion Way and Brunswick Terrace, with nearby events centre plan still at outline stage
Meanwhile, the existing Yorkshire Bank office building would be demolished to make way for the second phase, comprising a stepped building rising to 18 storeys, featuring 543 student bedrooms in a mix of five and six-bedroom clusters and 216 studios.
Second student accommodation building proposal for site located between Clay Pit Lane and Elmwood Close
If approved, the plans will pave the way for 1,200 flats and the creation of a 110,000 sq ft facility including an 800-900 capacity auditorium at the centre of the Leeds Arena Quarter, designed to attract additional corporate, cultural and live events.
The sustainable development will incorporate photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps.
Each element of the plan promises to regenerate unused space in part of the city that will benefit economically from additional footfall. The proposals also have the potential to create approximately 390 jobs in the construction phase.
George Tyson, projects director at Downing, said: “It has long been recognised that Leeds is in need of an additional, flexible events space capable of hosting corporate banqueting, awards ceremonies and live entertainment. With 2,000 square metre flat floor space, this scheme has the potential to host conferences and exhibitions which can’t be facilitated at the Arena or other venues in the city centre, allowing Leeds to secure business that may otherwise be lost to other cities and regions.”
He added: “Attracting and retaining graduate talent is vital to the health of the regional economy and this relies on being able to offer attractive student accommodation. Our proposals will provide students with brand new, first-class living space in a dynamic part of the city, with fast access to university buildings and facilities.”
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