We were delighted to be involved with the construction of a brand new town hall in Shirebrook – the first one the town has had!
Shirebrook in North-East Derbyshire is a town on the up. Recent years has seen Bolsover District Council build new homes and the thriving town itself continues to see independent stores and chains do well.
Construction of the new Shirebrook Town Hall represented a partnership between Shirebrook Town Council, Bolsover District Council and Woodhead Construction.
The new Shirebrook Town Hall, which was completed in April 2019, now provides local people with a place to talk about housing issues and pay their rent on the ground floor, while the upper two floors are the Shirebrook Town Council’s chambers and offices.
Derbyshire-based Woodhead Construction is widely known in the area as a high quality, family-owned, reputable construction company. It has built up a close working relationship with Derbyshire’s local Authorities over many years, including Chesterfield Borough Council on construction of the new Enterprise Centre on Holywell Cross carpark.
Derbyshire Building Control partnership (DBCP) worked closely with Woodhead Group throughout the project. The company’s robust project management and ‘start right, finish right’ philosophy meant that the entire construction process was streamlined, time and cost efficient and resulted in a superior end product.
The new three-storey town hall which replaced a shed-like building which wasn’t fit for purpose, which had previously housed the town’s market stalls.
The new building is located in the town centre and set between two terraced properties on the marketplace. It fronts the road and is in extremely close proximity to the adjacent shop buildings. Due to its location, speed, safety and cleanliness were of the utmost importance.
Because of the limited space a timber frame was chosen to reduce the amount of dirty works on site which is usually associated with traditional brick and block builds. This meant less disruption, less noise and less time invested for all parties.
The structural elements and layout of the building were built off-site, with each element of the structure being pre-fabricated, ready to put together in situ. This reduced the programmed length and the impact on local business and residents alike.
Prior to construction of the new town hall, the previous building had to be demolished. Both demolition and construction of the new structure were a challenge.
Access to the site was via a rear access road which allowed the provision of the site to be set up. Constraints for the site were tight, not only physically and in cost, but also in maintaining health and safety of the general public.
Prior to construction in order to overcome identified obstacles during construction, a schedule of works was agreed between DBCP and Woodhead Group to ensure that adjacent properties were neither undermined nor had additional load placed on them.
Demolition of the old structure¸ a single storey, shed-like building which wasn’t fit for purpose and had previously housed the town’s market stalls, made way for the month-long process of erecting the timber frame town hall.
Both demolition and construction represented a challenge. The building fronted the road and was in extremely close proximity to the adjacent shop buildings. Access to the site was via a rear access road which allowed the provision of the site to be set up. Constraints for the site were tight, not only physically and in cost, but also in maintaining health and safety of the general public.
A schedule of works was put in place by DBCP and Woodhead Construction to ensure that the undermining or any additional load was not inserted on the adjacent properties, and that the building did not collapse whilst the foundation work was underway. The shed was demolished, and the foundations were constructed.
Throughout the process, Woodhead worked seamlessly with DBCP, arranging for inspections in advance of them being required, and contacting DBCP often days in advance. This level of organisation allowed us to provide the best possible Building Control service in a timely manner – ensuring the project was delivered on time.
The construction process was as streamlined as possible and the use of subcontractors was reduced to a minimum. Specialist contractors were only utilised when required, such as the lift installation to enable access to all floors, which was required due to it being a public building. All sub contractors far exceeded requirements and worked to a high standard.
Since its construction, the new town hall has saved the council money with running costs even lower than predicted. Every element of its construction achieved better than the required U-Value (thermal resistance) The pressure test confirmed high standards by achieving 4.25 m3.h-1m-2 @50Pa.
The processes undertaken by all involved provided a solution for the Local Council which saved money and time, far exceeding all requirements, providing a building that is economically valuable.
The construction of Shirebrook Town Hall is an excellent example of how a partnership approach from start to finish with DBCP and commitment of quality from all parties involved delivers a superior end product.