Building Progress at the Care Centre Site

Members of the Care Centre Committee who made a visit to the building site on 1st May were pleased to see how well the work is progressing.Their guide was Dave Brown, the Project Manager for Frank Haslam Milan. As they looked down at the work that had been done behind Waltham House, Dave said that 50% of the foundations for this new building were in place and preparations made for the next stage. 144 piles had been driven to a depth of 8 to 9 m. by Bolivant's special machine. Environmentally friendly, it does not cause vibrations and produces only 1 barrow load of waste soil per pile.

Dave explained that, due to the nature of the site, a tower crane will have to be used - a very expensive operation. In preparation a base has been made. A massive hole has been dug and filled with 88 cubic metres of concrete which would take 10 days to cure.

In 4 weeks time, in 5 days, Bison pre-cast concrete floor beams will be put in place. This work has to be planned like a military operation so as to time deliveries by lorry and the exact positioning of the units. Tony, the Engineer, is on the site every day to set out work, establish levels and check they are right.

A lot of work had to be done even before the foundations could be started. Because lead and arsenic occurred naturally in the soil, it was considered by the Environmental Agency to be hazardous. It had to be removed to a depth of 3 metres. It was a costly and highly complex operation to excavate and dispose of 2,500 cubic metres of soil. A lorry can carry 9 cubic metres,. just under 20 tons. The contractors had to find enough lorries and each made two trips per day to the disposal point in Peterborough. To carry 1 cubic metre cost £220.

Old Waltham House is being renovated and adapted for its new purpose. You could hear thuds and whirrs as that day 15 men were working there. (Most from Wirksworth!)

It was not yet safe for visitors to go upstairs. When the builders opened up the house they found everywhere they looked the quality of work was very much below today's standards. Floors were not level, walls not straight, beams and joists have had to be replaced. The roof has had to be releaded and slated.

Yet, gradually, with a lot of planning, care and effort, things are going ahead well.