The main focus on the old Ben Shaws bottling site throughout February and March has been surveys, surveys, surveys.
Surveys on utilities, surveys on drains & sewers (always nice), surveys on environmental topography, surveys on hazardous materials, cross sectional surveys, measured buildings surveys, surveys on timber rot and damp, structural surveys, demolition surveys and probably other surveys that I’ve missed or forgotten!
Lots of hard work with many different partners has been happening behind the scenes. A full set of external and internal drawings have been produced which are vital for the architects to start producing more detailed plans.
Ultimately, all of the reports from surveyors on the utilities, drainage, structural integrity, topography & Asbestos help us understand what elements of the existing structures are likely to be use-able, what needs renewing and upgrading, and what is no longer needed. They also help us build up a picture of the work load and cost of any remedial and demolition work required to the existing buildings and other areas of the site before we can start refurbishing it for future use.
The Community Church design team will start reviewing the output of these surveys now, with input from Fibre Architects, and start to understand what is required to put a full planning application together.