The latest news from our contractors PBS Construction.

May 27, 2021 |

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Overview of the Works

The aim of this scheme is to rejuvenate the existing South Cliff Gardens and restore them to their former glory. The scheme has received substantial funds from the National Lottery Community and Heritage Funds with money also being raised by local community groups.

The full project comprises of the construction of a new maintenance and community hub, along with general refurbishment and landscaping upgrades to the existing South Cliff Park. The project also includes refurbishment work to the existing tunnel, currently closed off to the public under the funicular railway. The works will be split into 4 Phases.

Construction Works to Date (April 26^th– May 28^th)

Having set up our site compound at the South Cliff Car Park, attention turned to the demolition of the existing depot and maintenance building in the gardens to make room for the construction of the new Beeforth’s Hive Community Building. The existing maintenance building is not big enough to house the expanding team of gardeners and apprentices so therefore it needs extending. Following consultation with the community a need was also identified for a space that the community could use for meetings, activities and learning opportunities. The new building will provide facilities for both the gardeners and community to use. We have now started the process of knocking down the old building to construct the new and the process involved:

The erection of Heras fencing around the building to ensure the safety of the public.

General site clearance, including the careful removal of existing hedges/shrubs – this was carried out in full compliance with ecology and environmental legislation.

Demolition of the building and removal of subsequent debris from the site.

Excavation to reduced levels ready to accommodate a new concrete reinforced slab that the new Community Hub building (Beeforth’s Hive) will be built upon.

Setting out and fixing formwork and reinforcement in preparation for the pouring of the new concrete base slab.

Work has now commenced on constructing the new Beeforth’s Hive Community Building, which is due for completion in November of this year.

We are aware from listening to the community that there are concerns about the removal of the hedge, which exposes the Rose Garden to the elements. The removal of the hedge is necessary to create disabled access into the new Beeforth Hive community building. However, there will be a new planting scheme installed to reinstate the windbreak and attract greater biodiversity.

Also this month, work has started on the refurbishment of Shelter 8 involving:

The erection of heras fencing around the shelter to ensure safe clearance for pedestrians walking through the gardens.

The design of a temporary works propping system and both interior and exterior scaffolding around the shelter to create safe works access. This is being finalised ready to commence the refurbishment of the shelter on May 24^th.

Alongside of these works the trial excavations of the existing steps in area 22 has also taken place. The trial pit is important as it shows thickness and formation depths and also flags if there are any buried services. The steps, which are adjacent to the opening of the tunnel under the funicular railway, are to be refurbished complete with new handrails. The refurbishment programme will begin in late September when the funicular railway ends operations for the season. Full details of footpath closures and diversion routes will be provided closer to the start date of the refurbishment.

Jonny joins the team at South Cliff

One of our newest apprentices, Jonny Wilkinson, will be part of our on-site team for the duration of the project. Jonny joined PBS in January of this year and is currently working towards his Level 2 Groundworks City & Guilds qualification which involves a combination of working on site and studying at Hull College.

Working on South Cliff Gardens will help him work towards that qualification and PBS Managing Director, Glenn Smurthwaite, said:

“Jonny is a hard working young man with a real eagerness to learn and being part of our team on South Cliff Gardens will really help his development. The nature of the project means that Jonny will be able to learn new skills in a different type of environment and as a company we put great importance on developing our people. I’m sure that being part of the team on this project will be a valuable experience for Jonny.”

Jonny is pictured here having assisted on the leaflet drop to local residents and businesses. There was a fair amount of walking involved for Jonny and the rest of the team with 1,600 leaflets being posted ahead of the project starting.

Site tour with Coastal Sight & Hearing Community

We were delighted to welcome Daniel Swain and Tony Mollica from the Coastline Sight & Hearing Community for a site visit recently. Both Daniel and Tony are Trustees for the charity which supports the visually and hearing impaired in the Yorkshire Coast area.

Many of the charity’s members are regular visitors to South Cliff Gardens and Daniel and Tony were keen to learn about any temporary footpath closures, subsequent diversions and how those would affect walking routes.

We were only too happy to show Daniel and Tony around the site and share information on planned closures during Phase 1, as well as giving a general overview of the project.

The tour proved to be more than useful and further visits will take place as the project progresses to ensure that safe accessibility to the gardens for the vi sually and hearing impaired is maintained.

Daniel commented: “We would like to thank PBS for inviting us to the site and for explaining the work that will be carried out as part of the regeneration project. Many of our visually impaired members have to learn routes in order to be able to go for walks independently which means that closures to paths might affect their routes. We were very pleased to see that PBS Construction have worked hard to mitigate any problems that the work may present to the public and how committed they are to both maintaining and improving the accessibility of the gardens for the disabled.”

Guided Tour for South Cliff Community Group

The South Cliff Community Group raised in excess of £100,000 towards the cost of the renovation project and it was great to welcome their Chair, David Auton, to the site recently.

David was given a guided tour of the works by Victoria Thompson (South Cliff NLHF Project Officer), Scott Matthews (Principal Landscape Architect at Southern Green), Gemma Alexander (Scarborough Borough Council Community Engagement Officer) and Brendon Smurthwaite (PBS Construction Community Manager).

During the tour, David was given an overview of the current phase of the project and information on how the plans will unfold in future phases.

PBS are looking forward to working with the South Cliff Community Group going forward and Brendon commented:

“It was really nice to meet David and find out a bit more about the South Cliff Community Group.

“To raise such a large amount of money towards the cost of the project is an incredible effort and after talking to David it’s clear that the gardens mean so much too so many people in the local area.

“We’ll be working closely with David to keep him and the members of the group fully updated as the project progresses.”

Scarborough Skills Village

PBS’s Aimee Frith (Quality & Social Value Lead) and Brendon Smurthwaite (Community Manager) recently visited the Scarborough Skills Village where they were given a guided by tour by Employer Engagement Officer, Jenna Redmond. Positive discussions were held regarding offering work placements to potential groundworks operatives on the South Cliff Garden’s project and Aimee said:

“It was great to meet Jenna, look around the impressive facilities and discuss the opportunities which we’ll be able to offer to learners from the Skills Village. We look forward to working with them during the duration of the contract and welcoming some of their learners to the site in the future.”

Considerate Constructors Scheme

This project has been registered under the Considerate Constructors Scheme, which means that we will agree to abide by the Code of Considerate best practice beyond statutory requirements. Alongside this we have registered with The Considerate Constructors Scheme who are working with the Lighthouse Club, the Construction Industry Charity to promote the Construction Industry Helpline. The Construction Industry Helpline operates 24/7 and provides practical support on occupational health and mental wellbeing, access to support on legal, tax and debt management matters and also grants emergency financial aid to construction families in crisis.

Meet the PBS Site Team

NAME	ROLE
PETER SMURTHWAITE	CHAIRMAN
GLENN SMURTHWAITE	MANAGING DIRECTOR
MARK BROOKS	COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
CONNOR COOPER	QUANTITY SURVEYOR
BRENDON SMURTHWAITE	COMMUNITY LIAISON MANAGER 01482 211132
DANNY LONG	HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGER
AIMEE FRITH	QUALITY & SOCIAL VALUE LEAD

NAME	ROLE / CONTACT NUMBER
ANDREW THORLEY	PROJECT MANAGER 07834 651678
ALAN CLARKE	CIVILS SITE MANAGER 07813 536660

Drop-in Sessions

We will be holding monthly drop-in sessions throughout the project on the last Thursday of each month. Our next one will be held on June 24^th (1:00 to 3:00pm) at the Crown Spa Hotel which is situated on The Esplanade in Scarborough (postcode: YO11 2AG). If anyone has any queries regarding the project they’ll be more than welcome to come along.