Mill Lane, in Alton (Hampshire) is a retail park anchored by two main tenants, Lidl and Home Bargains.
Challenge
Managing and overcoming tough conditions
Calcinotto successfully assisted the Main Contractor, Knights Brown, in their production of a tender submission for the design and construction of a new retail park in Alton, Hampshire. The client, Hargreaves, had already secured two main anchors tenants, Lidl and Home Bargains, prior to the planning decision being made and subsequently appointed Knights Brown for this £6.0m development.
The site had issues with the ground conditions, and existing levels,

Solution
Working with the site’s topography
The Ground Investigation Report revealed poor ground conditions beneath the site which, together with a relatively high water table, necessitating the superstructure to be supported on a pile and ground beam foundation solution. In order to create the column free spaces required by the incoming anchor tenants, the superstructure comprises a structural steel portal frame with mezzanines being a tenant fit-out item.
Due to the constraints of the existing levels on the site and the existence of a Network Rail embankment running along the rear boundary of the site, a permanent retaining wall is required varying between 1.0 to 1.5m in retained height.
Both the foul and surface water will discharge by gravity into existing outlets to the public sewers within the main road, with the surface water design utilising both attenuation tanks and permeable paving with the parking areas.
Calcinotto provided both civil and structural engineering services.

- Categories Commercial, Retail