INCA Case Study: Pullman Close, Chesterfield

Background

Following the announcement of a £7.1m investment from Chesterfield Borough Council to modernise areas in the former mining town of Staveley, main contractor Fortem was chosen to renovate buildings both internally and externally. Thanks to our excellent reputation with Fortem forged on previous work, Westville was appointed once again to apply rendering and cladding expertise on this initiative.

The first area to be worked on was identified as Pullman Close, which highlighted buildings that were definitely showing their age. These buildings not only needed renovation to improve their appearance, they also required significant improvements to their environmental and security performance as well.

The work and the challenges

The first issue to arise was during the initial planning phase. Concerns were raised about the potential increase in traffic due to the nature of the work. This, combined with a narrow lane leading onto a main road, meant that extensive teamwork & planning was needed to minimise the impact of the work on the local community.

Surveys also highlighted that the windows were found to be in dire need of an upgrade. The original windows were deemed inadequate for retaining heat and posed a security risk for residents due to the ease of potential break-ins.

A plan to replace all the windows was formulated to concur with the rest of the work, which included Cavity Wall Insulation extraction, Cavity Wall Insulation refill and loft insulation to a thickness of 300mm.

Results

All work was carried out in line with planning and concluded in early 2021, with most completed during the pandemic summer. Due to all the products used in this project passing rigorous fire safety tests, residents could be safe knowing that all materials matched the quality of workmanship that Westville is synonymous with.

The area, which was once aesthetically rundown, is now completely different. A fresh and modern approach to the design makes these flats genuinely stand out from the crowd and everyone agrees they look stunning.