AS part of Thurrock council’s commitment to constructing 1,000 new affordable homes across a five year period, Morgan Tucker has been involved in an innovative project which has transformed a dilapidated site in Grays, into a major housing development.
Talk of the plans first arose in 2013, and have since seen the existing derelict garages and community centre regenerated into 53 new homes across three, four-storey tower blocks on Seabrooke Rise.
One of the first of its kind in the area, the scheme placed a key focus on high quality design and construction, and hopes to demonstrate the potential for further regeneration projects throughout Thurrock.
As part of its remit, Morgan Tucker completed civil engineering services for the site, liaising with Statutory Authorities for drainage and utility diversions and designing all external works including; domestic and public foul and surface water drainage, highway improvements (under section 278 Agreement) as well as private courtyards.
Thanks to the implementation of a 3D Building Software, the Morgan Tucker engineering team was also able to detect areas that were being underutilised. For example, in one instance the shape and slope of the roof design was hindering the potential of the space and so, the design was adapted by the architect.
Within the project, sustainability was a fundamental area for consideration, with environmental impact, lifetime maintenance costs and the reduction of fuel poverty all influencing the design.
One way in which these targets were met was by ensuring the buildings complied with London Housing Design Guide, Lifetime Homes and Code for Sustainable Homes level 4. Cost also played a key role as the new builds needed to be of maximum quality, while maintaining a low overall construction cost to ensure they remained affordable for local residents.
Neil Price, Operations Director at Morgan Tucker commented: “It’s great to be involved in projects such as this one that really transform the site and its surroundings. It is especially rewarding when you know they are going to have such a big impact and bring many benefits to the community.
“With a town centre, main shopping streets and a railway station just a few minutes’ walk away, the location makes the development really commercially viable and we look forward to seeing similar sites progress with the same success as Seabrooke Rise.”
