Re-Development of Finney Park Drive complete

Cheetham Hill Construction has completed re-development works on the Finney Park Drive residential estate in Lea, Preston.

Over the last 12 months CHC has conducted an extensive ground investigation programme on the estate along with restoration works. The work carried out involved the excavation and removal of imported fill around the houses, raising ground levels using polystyrene blocks to reduce the loading on the peat and the installation of concrete piles and slabs to support the sewers and utilities. The estate has also being attractively landscaped.

Finney Park Drive is a small residential estate consisting of 24 modern brick built family homes. Within the first few years of the original construction being completed in 2000, the roads, gardens and sewers began to sink, which led to the estate being condemned and residents moving out.

All the properties had piled foundations and were structurally sound. However, the roads, sewers and gardens were all constructed on imported fill, which had been placed on peat deposits. Over time the fill material compressed the peat, which led to the ground levels sinking up to three feet in places together with the infrastructure.

CHC became aware of the troubled housing development in 2006 when the properties were scheduled for demolition. After much consideration, CHC purchased the properties and land and developed an innovative engineering solution together with their consultants Johnson, Poole and Bloomer, to prevent demolition of the houses and reconstruct the area for the local community. This solution was developed and approved with input from Preston City Council.

Steve Rawlinson, Cheetham Hill Construction"s Project Manager for Finney Park Drive said: "The unnecessary demolition of this estate has been prevented, which would have resulted in the unnecessary generation of huge volumes of waste not to mention further disruption for the local community who have been plagued by the affects of the original project for years.

"There has been a lot of hard work involved but we feel the work has now paid off and the local housing market will benefit. We are hoping that the public and local residents will see the results for themselves when they come to view the properties."

CHC has been working with Preston City Council and the residents on Finney Park Drive whose properties were not affected, to ensure the work was carried out as efficiently as possible.

CHC has also been accredited by the Green Organisation with a Green Apple National Bronze Award 2007 for "Built Environment and Architectural Heritage" for the innovative engineering solutions implemented on the residential site.