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UK: Barking Riverside, a joint venture between the Mayor of London and L&Q has awarded a £12 million contract to civil engineering firm Mackley to shore up flood defence and environmental protections at the development.
The venture, part of the larger Barking Riverside development, aims to develop a 500-metre strip of land along the Thames.
Mackley will take part in flood prevention efforts, raising the flood defence crest at Barking Riverside from +7.1mOD to +8.2mOD, in line with the Environment Agency’s Thames Estuary 2100 climate change mitigation plan. This will be done through regrading and reinforcing concrete walls and localised sheet piling.
The scheme also calls for surface water management through use of swales, shallow channels for water drainage, and attenuation basins and storage tanks for water storage. In addition, 1,250 square meters of intertidal basin habitat will be created.
Mackley’s project is the most recent addition to the Barking Riverside scheme, which is revitalising a two kilometre-long stretch on the Thames and delivering up to 20,000 homes and other facilities. The foreshore works are one of several other projects on the site funded through a partnership with Homes England.
Barking Riverside Limited has already completed an extensive programme of wildlife mitigation works in partnership with ecology agency Ramboll. These enabling works included a carefully sequenced reptile translocation programme, relocating species from the foreshore to prepared alternative habitats, enabling construction to proceed in line with environmental requirements while protecting the established ecology along the river’s edge. The programme of works will ultimately deepen the coastal grassland areas on the foreshore, extending existing habitats and creating improved conditions for nesting birds and other wildlife.
“Barking Riverside’s foreshore is the largest habitat type of its kind along London’s River Thames, and we are immensely proud of this fantastic asset,” Barking Riverside Limited managing director Leigh Johnson said. “These foreshore works are essential to safeguard the river’s edge and to unlock thousands of vitally needed homes, all whilst creating a distinctive sense of place for Barking Riverside with the Thames at its centre. Appointing Mackley — an experienced delivery partner — demonstrates BRL’s commitment to ensure this complex package is undertaken with sensitivity and care.”
Andrew Martin, area manager at Mackley, added: “Mackley are extremely excited to be appointed as the Design and Build contractor delivering the prestigious Barking Riverside Project. The project will provide an excellent green space amenity for generations of Barking Riverside residents, and we are looking forward to engaging with the local community throughout the scheme.”
Highlights:
- A £12 million contract with Mackley will raise the flood defence crest at Barking Riverside to meet the Environment Agency’s Thames Estuary 2100 climate adaptation plan.
- The project includes regrading and reinforcing concrete walls, installing sheet piling and implementing surface water drainage systems using swales and attenuation basins.
- The flood defense and drainage works are essential infrastructure to unlock the development of up to 20,000 homes on the two-kilometre Thames riverside site.
- The scheme also involves creating 1,250 square metres of new intertidal basin habitat as part of the environmental protections for the area.
