North West

Regenerating Salford: Every little helps

The construction of a brand new 24-hour Tesco Extra store and linked petrol station in Salford has reached completion.

Located within Salford Precinct, the £22 million development has been constructed as part of plans to regenerate the area of Salford in Greater Manchester. Construction and interior fit-out company, Patton Group was the main contractor on the project, whilst Smith Smally Architects provided all architectural services on the site. Birchall Ltd was the mechanical and electrical engineer on the project.

Work began on the store in March 2012 and reached completion in early November 2012, with the store officially opening on 17th November. The project was funded by Tesco’s and its development partners The Santon Group.

The 100,000 sq ft site comprises a Tesco Extra store, a six-pump petrol station and associated landscaping. The new store was built using a steel frame construction, with timber cladding on the external elevations, and features roof lights and a ‘wind catcher’ ventilation system.

Prior to work taking place on the project the site housed an old school and a church which were owned by Salford City Council. These structures were demolished prior to work commencing on the new development.

Discussing the challenges of the project, Tesco Stores Limited Store Development Manager, Bernard Owens, said:

“The new Tesco Extra store was constructed in a highly populated area of Salford, so this was quite a congested site. However to combat any problems with disruption for local residents, the Patton Group worked closely with neighbours and residents – which included setting up forums – to ensure that everyone effected by the work was informed as to the progress of the development.

“The ground conditions on the site also proved problematic. We had to use a lime stabilisation process on the ground to rectify the situation, but due to the bad weather this year, especially in Manchester, we had to repeat the process on a number of occasions.

“There were a few restrictions in terms of the working hours on the project and this was a very tight programme of works. Construction could only take place between the hours of 8am and 6pm each day, but we adhered to this and completed the project on time.”

Bernard added:

“It was vital that we got this store completed on time as it forms an important part of the proposed regeneration scheme in Salford. The store will provide services to customers in the local area and will encourage major regeneration projects to take place in the Salford area.

“Tesco Extra Salford looks great and has been expertly delivered by the Patton Group.”

Tesco has over 3,000 stores and currently employs over 300,000 employees. The company has the widest range of products for any food retailer and its own brands Tesco Finest and Everyday Value are two of the largest food brands in the UK.

In April 2012 the company announced a £1 billion commitment plan to improve the shopping experience for its customers throughout 2012/2013. The scheme to build a better Tesco experience includes providing a better range of products and improving services and staff.

For more information on Tesco please visit: www.tesco.com.

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