FP McCann supplies the complete package of Precast Concrete Products for a Bespoke Water Management System on new Cambridgeshire town development
Status: Completed
Location: Northstowe Phase 2 Cambridgeshire
Division: Drainage & Water Management
Main Contractor: John Sisk
Groundworks / Drainage Contractor: Caulfield Civil Engineering
Products Supplied: Headwall, Box Culvert Sections, Easi-Base Chamber, Caisson Rings, Multi-Purpose Panel System and Precast Concrete Pipes
FP McCann has recently supplied a bespoke precast concrete abstraction chamber together with panel section discharge and valve chambers a caisson ring pump wet well and Easi-Base™ inlet chamber unit, all installed as part of major drainage infrastructure works on one of the UK’s largest new towns.
Northstowe in Cambridgeshire is set to be the largest new residential development since Milton Keynes, where eventually around 10,000 new homes are planned. The huge site is on the former RAF Oakington air base.
Client, The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has awarded Northstowe Phase 2 to national civils and building contractor John Sisk. The £49 million contract includes the construction of 5km of highways and associated drainage and utilities infrastructure to service 3,500 homes and three schools.
The abstraction and discharge drainage system has been constructed by Essex based drainage and civils specialist Caulfield Civil Engineering. It is situated adjacent to one of the two huge manmade attenuation lagoons on site. As the level rises in the lagoon, water enters the abstraction chamber via the FP McCann headwall and culvert run. It then passes via a 600mm id precast concrete pipe into a special 1800mm id Easi-Base™ inlet chamber including sump for a penstock. From there it enters a pump wet well chamber constructed with FP McCann 4000mm id caisson rings. Water is then pumped via a valve chamber into a discharge chamber and then finally released into an existing on site culvert. Both the bespoke valve chamber and discharge chamber have been constructed using FP McCann’s Multi-Purpose-Panel (MPS) system for water retaining tanks (reinforced precast concrete panel sections).
The Caulfield Engineering team in conjunction with John Sisk’s engineers contacted the FP McCann ‘specials’ team early in the design stage to explore the possibilities of them manufacturing the complete abstraction and discharge systems in precast concrete. FP McCann produced 3D concept sketches to accompany a quotation to ensure a clear understanding of their proposal. This useful information enabled Caulfield’s team to assess lifting and install suitability at site, before placing orders.
Products were manufactured at FP McCann’s Ellistown and Byley precast concrete plants.
Commenting on the system install, a spokesperson for Caulfield Civil Engineering says, “The bespoke precast concrete abstraction and discharge configuration has provided the ideal engineering solution to this specific water management requirement. The finished design demonstrates the flexibility that precast concrete has to offer in such drainage infrastructure schemes.”
For sales and technical enquiries, contact Ellistown depot on 01530 240000 or email sales@fpmccann.co.uk
