Oakfield Avenue

With contractor Galliford Try enlisted to undertake the works on behalf of the client, Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation was able to provide a range of solutions in the form of a full Ridgistorm-XL chamber and pipework system and technical services.

“This project was essentially all about building an offline storage system to store overflows from the combined sewer overflow [CSO] in the event of a storm or significant rainfall event. This means that the water captured can be held, attenuated and then released back into the CSO when the storm has passed or resided,” Will Thompson, Sub Agent at Galliford Try, said.

“It was part of a wider scheme for Yorkshire Water to upgrade their storage systems and reduce discharges from storm overflows so, in terms of our involvement, we initially got given a scope with solutions outlined and it was our job to investigate the feasibility of each of them and it worked out that the best solution for this scheme was a pipe storage system.

“From there, we designed the scheme and chose to use Polypipe CGU products for the benefits of carbon saving, speed and ease of installation so it was at this stage that we liaised with our Key Account Manager, Lee, and the Polypipe CGU technical team to tweak the designs and tailor them to existing ground conditions on site.”

“One of the solutions implemented was a flume going across one of the chambers so that, while they were constructing, the team weren’t being impeded by any of the overflow storm water, which was a real specialist element of the project,” Lee Woodcock, Key Account Manager at Polypipe CGU, said. “This was the result of some really good collaboration between our in-house technical team and Galliford Try’s consultant, GHD – it wasn’t just pipe and a fabricated chamber, there was a lot of consideration about how to keep things online while the team was building something new offline.”

“We were working through the winter, from October to February, so there were, naturally, some challenges with the weather - we had ice, rain, mud, soft ground conditions,” Will said. “Plus we had some hard ground to work with, as well as some former mine workings and adits that we had to design the scheme with clearance away from those existing structures so there were certainly some obstacles along the way, but our experience with Lee and Polypipe CGU was amazing. It was seamless, all the way from working on the design and producing what we needed to purchasing, delivery and install – I’d 100% recommend it.”

“As a key account, we have a fantastic relationship with the team at Galliford Try, and it really shows in the quality of our collaborations,” Lee said.

“At the beginning of this project, we were able to go to site and do a toolbox talk with the team, ensuring that everyone was happy and confident with the products and installation requirements and, because of these site visits, we were able to provide some additional support with backdrops and on-site fabrication, which is a huge advantage in our service offering.

“As supply chain partners, we always want to learn and understand how things can be done better, so there’s an element of taking lessons from previous projects and putting the wheels in motion for the next one. Continuous improvement is incredibly important, and this project worked so well because everyone wanted everyone to understand and succeed. It takes two to tango and, with a level playing field, two-way open communication and early involvement like this, you’re always going to succeed.

“This project was an absolute pleasure to work on. The team were spot on, and we look forward to many more successes in the future,” Lee concluded.