Newtown Works
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- PROFESSIONALISM
- COMMUNICATION
- CO-OPERATION
- EDUCATION
- COMPETITIVENESS
Client
Ashford International Development Co.
Site
Newtown Works, Ashford, Kent
Duration
Ongoing
Services Used
Site clearance, remedation, investigation, protection and demolition
Located on the site of Ashford’s former Victorian railway works, Newtown is a £250m mixed-use regeneration project. Centred around state-of-the-art TV and film production space, the development is set to support 2,000 new jobs and create a new hub for the creative industries, which will benefit from Ashford’s connectivity to London and Europe.
The ambitious Newtown Works project was approved in 2020, and will see derelict land and buildings previously used by the railway transformed into over 7000 square feet of studio space. In total, four film studios are proposed, as well as an 18-storey hotel, 300 flats, commercial units, a rooftop restaurant and a nearly 400-space multi-storey car park.
Newtown Works will breathe new life into the Grade II listed locomotive sheds, which will be transformed into apartments, workshops and a new Kent Film School, in partnership with local further education institutions. The project will also include the building of a 120-bed hotel, a roof-top restaurant and a multi-storey car park.
Having built a long-standing relationship with co-developer and project owner Quinn Estates, Goody Demolition were recommended to Ashford International Development Company, who subsequently invited us to submit quotations and proposals for the demolition, enabling and groundworks required on the Project. Our tender was successful, and we were awarded the upcoming phases for the work, a project that would last for a number of years.
GDL have been working on site for several years now throughout the various phases of the project. The nature of each phase has required us to provide varied services to the Client, from site clearance, remediation, investigation, protection and demolition. Our scope of work to date has included land/ground remediation, removal of historic slabs and foundations, demolition of ancillary buildings, strip out and de-plant within existing railway sheds. Upcoming works commencing shortly involve the removal of metal framework from train sheds and structural alterations to facilitate the new development.
Due to the previous usage of the site and surrounding area, these 2 elements were key considerations when it came to working within the ground on the project. With the area previously being used for heavy industrial and railway purposes, there was the potential for chemical contamination within the strata under the slab, as well as for significant historic finds due to heritage context of the Site and it’s importance to the establishment of the surrounding community. We worked with the designated archaeological teams and our sister company Horizon Environmental (Asbestos Removal and Contamination Specialist), undertaking the works under watching brief to ensure any historic items were identified, investigated and recorded and that contaminants were dealt with in the proper manner where discover prior to commencing with slab removal and excavations.
The redundant buildings within the Newtown project demesne had been derelict for some time, and had attracted attention from urban exploration groups and other curious individuals, some of which were artists who contributed to the history of the site with paintings etc. on the walls of the railway sheds. Decided to be of cultural significance, GDL were asked to protect and retain these artworks so that they formed interest points in the wider development.
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