Contractors Newsletter - Issue 3  December 2007

It has been a little time since our last newsletter and in the meantime works on site have progressed with some pace. All the demolitions are now complete, as are the foundations barring a couple of bases on Wells Place. The service yard access for Tesco and TK Maxx has also been reinstated to its original entry off Blenheim Road.

You will also be pleased to hear that both Scottish & Southern Energy and BT have completed their installations around the perimeter of the site and within the town centre.

As you are no doubt aware the structural steel frame started erection in early November and we are nearing around 50% of the frame being completed.  As you can see we are building the development in vertical slices, erecting to full height as we go as opposed to the usual level by level basis.  This is due to the constraints of the site including working below the Southampton Airport flight path.  This steel frame will continue to be erected at the same pace until February.

Following on from the steel are the floors at each level and in the New Year the roof decks and envelope on Blenheim Road.

You will need to be aware that from early January we will be constructing our working area on Wells Place.  This will extend into the carriageway in Wells Place and for a number of weeks, Wells Place will become a one-way system with traffic being directed around the block and down Market Street.  There will be no entry on Wells Place from the roundabout on Southampton Road.

The New Year will be a busy one for us on site and our efforts early on will be to enclose the building allowing works to start inside. Roof decking will be started to be laid working from Blenheim Road northwards and at the same time brick and blockwork, render and windows will start to be fitted on the Blenheim Road elevation.  This will quickly be followed on the Southampton Road elevation and on the inner mall.

At the same time the steel frame and floors will be installed to the northern half of the site.

Key Activities Affecting the Site Boundaries

As advised earlier, we will be taking over on carriageway of Wells Place from early January to allow working space to erect the steel frame, complete the windows and render walls to this elevation, and allow off loading of delivery vehicles.  This will mean that traffic currently accessing the Mitchell Road multi-storey car park and servicing the rear of businesses on Market Street from the roundabout on Southampton Road will be diverted to the north and through the Market Street one-way system. Wells Place past the site will also become one-way and vehicles coming from Market Street and Mitchell Road will exit onto the Southampton Road roundabout only.  All these works are currently being finalised with Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire Highways and will include the installation of diversionary and directional signage through the town.

In addition we will be constructing a scaffold on Southampton Road to allow the cladding facing the railway to be installed.  We will however keep the Southampton Road footpath in operation during this time with localised diversion of the footpath onto the side of the road as previously installed.  Once the scaffold has been erected, a protective tunnel will be installed to  maintain the footpath.

Please also note that on the outside of the existing car ramp, adjacent to the Swan Centre service entrance we will be installing a small tower crane to service the site. This will be located within the site hoarding and will not affect footpaths etc.  Deliveries will be off loaded from this crane, however these vehicles will be taken onto site behind the hoarding to an off loading area.  Additional gates will be installed shortly to allow vehicles to exit the site by the roundabout.

Safety

Warings takes safety both on and off site very seriously, being the number 1 priority in anything we do.

We would appreciate any comments if you have any concerns, particularly outside the site or if you see anything untoward whilst the site is closed especially during the Christmas shut-down.

We hope this newsletter has been of interest and answers some of the questions you may have. We fully understand and appreciate that our construction activities can be disruptive to our neighbours but we would like to assure you that we constantly review our procedures to lessen the impact.

However, if you do have any concerns that you would like to bring to our attention, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to discuss the matter with you.

Chris Ames Project Manager / Centre Manager Dee Buffone

Head Office Gatcombe House, Hilsea Portsmouth PO2 0TU

Tel: 02392 694900

Fax: 02392 690606