Multi Utility, Gleeson Homes, County Durham, 334 plots

THE PROJECT:

Aptus was awarded the contract to deliver mains infrastructure and services to 334 homes for Gleeson Homes in November 2019.

The development is located within the former mining town of Spennymoor and stands above the Wear Valley, around seven miles from Durham.

Starting work at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, this was an extremely high-risk project which required connection onto a strategic 30-inch trunk main supplying water to a population of around half a million Durham residents.

A collaborative and proactive approach was key to the success of this project. We formed a good working relationship with the Northumbrian Water (NWL) construction team, who advised us throughout the works of the constraints placed on them by Ofwat due to the pandemic.

The global crisis caused a connection to the water supply to be delayed on multiple occasions with Northumbrian Water required to serve several permits before Aptus was able to access a live network.

All shutdowns had to be authorised by senior NWL personnel to minimise the number of residents off supply, while the connection onto the 30-inch main needed to be executed live and had to be fabricated and welded under a permit before they could commence.

Clear and ongoing communication was essential to keep the client informed throughout. At the same time we endeavoured to expedite the process and get the site connected to a water supply as soon as was safely possible.