The piling works for the new restaurants and apartments at Kettering’s award winning Market Place have now been successfully completed.
Works to date include:
• The basement that will house the underground parking for the new apartments has been partially dug – in total, around 3,250 tonnes of soil will have been removed from the site on completion;
• Piling, which involves drilling deep bore holes in the ground and infilling with concrete, are in place;
• Steel sheet piling, which forms the basement walls, has been installed.
• Foundations have commenced and will make way for steel work to begin shortly.
The next phase of the project will see the steel columns and beams being bolted into place which will form the frame for the buildings brickwork, windows and roofing. Over 100 tonnes of steelwork will be used in total and if laid end to end would stretch approximately two and a half kilometres.
It is expected that the roof will be put on top of the building in November this year, but works will not be due for completion until the Summer / Autumn next year.
The Market Place project has been paid for using money attained from Central Government and has been delivered in partnership with Northamptonshire County Council and North Northants Development Company. Kettering Borough Council is working with partners to attract investment into the borough in order to provide a better retail, education and living offer for everyone living in the borough.
Councillor Mark Dearing, Portfolio Holder for Retail and Business said: “We are entering a really exciting phase of the project now. Soon you will be able to see the building rising above the ground and it will be possible to appreciate the positive impact it will have on the town centre.”
Ray O’Sullivan, Area Manager of Sisk, the company carrying out the construction works, added: “Most of the work to date has been at ground or below ground level, but throughout September the project will rapidly take shape as the steel frame structure commences. We are pleased with progress to date and look forward to a summer 2011 delivery of this exciting project for Kettering.”