Barhale continues to build its role within Thames Water’s dedicated programme to improve the performance of London’s water network with new project awards at Victoria and Regent’s Park.
The two new schemes have a combined value of just under £10M and bring Barhale’s total under the AMP7 Conditional Allowance Trunk Main Scheme to in excess of £30 million.
Victoria Phase Two follows on from the successful completion of Victoria Phase One which upgraded one kilometre of water main around Victoria station. Phase Two will rehabilitate the existing 30” cast iron water main running from Eaton Square to Pont Street, principally through sliplining the existing asset with 630mm SDR17 Polyethylene pipe.
Although some opencut work is anticipated, the Barhale team will draw upon its experience in Phase One to keep this to a minimum – improving the rate of installation and reducing the impact upon local residents and businesses.
Extending 400 metres under some of the busiest and highest value areas of the capital, the scheme will add resilience to the existing Victorian pipework.
At Regent’s Park, Barhale will upgrade 1.4km of the existing 30” steel water main running on the eastern side of the park, again mainly by sliplining it with 630mm SDR17 Polyethylene pipe. Opencut will be used for the relatively deep southern connection.
Contracts Manager, Steve Collett, anticipates a high level of interaction with the local community and stakeholders.
“For different reasons, these are both really busy parts of London and we see it as a priority to minimise the impact of our work,” he said. “Critical factors in the successful delivery of Phase One at Victoria were the investment in community engagement and our focus on reducing the physical impact of works through effective ECI, very thorough planning, close collaboration with Thames Water and the local council, and by maximising the technology – particularly to allow longer continuous lengths of sliplining.
“This enabled us to use fewer pits, speeding up the process and allowing us to reinstate sooner and we will be applying the same thinking through Phase Two and at Regent’s Park.
Shane Gorman, Barhale’s Water Director – Southern Region, believes that the company’s investment in personnel has played an important part in the overall success of the programme.
“We took the decision early on to build a dedicated, specialist team with the right skillsets and to keep it together to maximise the expertise and experience gained at similar schemes in Greenwich and North London,” he said.
“As a result, we have been able to improve efficiency and delivery which, combined with Thames Water’s own commitment to the upgrade programme, is driving better outcomes for customers.
Work is expected to be completed at both Victoria Phase Two and Regent’s Park by November 2025.
Jaymin Patel, Head of Programme Delivery at Thames Water said, “Victoria Phase Two and Regent’s Park are part of an important programme of works to enhance the performance of the London water network. By investing in this critical infrastructure, we’re ensuring a more resilient water supply for Londoners while significantly reducing leaks and minimising community disruption.”
