Winchester Flood Defences

Flood Defence Improvement Works

When several public buildings adjacent to the River Itchen in North Winchester were deemed at risk of flooding, Hampshire County Council needed to address the situation.

With their expertise in this field, prominent building and civil engineering firm Mildren Construction Ltd were appointed to assist on the £668,000 project.

The brief was to improve the flood defences surrounding several important public buildings within close proximity to the river including the River Park Leisure Centre, St Bede’s School, Winchester School of Art and other surrounding public and private buildings.

The new defences consist of brick clad reinforced concrete walls, earth bunds and timber sleeper walls. Flood gates were also installed as part of the works, and will be closed as and when there is an increased risk of flooding to channel flood waters back towards to main River Itchen.

Value of development

£668K

Development time

14 weeks

Project type

Framework

Works included

significant temporary works

This has been an interesting and challenging project, which has called upon a diverse range of skills from our workforce and supply chain. Regular stakeholder liaison meetings and general communication with the public has been an essential requirement throughout.

With materials required at three separate locations and space on site at a premium, the logistics of material deliveries required very careful planning to ensure that vehicle movements were kept to a minimum, whilst also ensuring as little impact as possible on residents and members of the public. To facilitate this we had to make sure deliveries were only made outside of peak hours either side of the school day.

Access to some of the works locations was difficult, requiring a great deal of care and planning, particularly where the use of large plant and equipment was required. With both natural and man-made obstacles surrounding the site, a steady experienced hand in the driving seat has been essential.

Simon French, MD
winchester8

Winchester Flood Defences

Winchester, UK