Follow our Progress at North View

Following some mixed weather conditions for April, building work on North View has continued at pace. This can now be evidenced with the above ground steel super structure works that is visible on site.

Area V4 Erection of structural steelwork

 Lower ground floor area steel frame for North View

Steelwork was delivered to site on the 17 April and a ‘bolt tightening’ event was held on the 25 April, to mark the specific milestone of steelwork erection. You can read more about this here: Steel Frame construction marks major milestone in building of North View, Manchester | News and Events | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

Trust Director of Finance and project Senior Responsible Owner, Suzanne Robinsonon site to tighten a ‘golden bolt’ with staff from Park House

Vibro piling, ground (lime) modification and soft spot remediation works have all been completed within the month. Pad/foundations to the upper and lower levels plus the masonry super structure to the electrical sub-station, has also commenced.

Completion of ground beam design

HV LV substation facing brickwork

Adjustments to site gate locations for access of steelwork and materials is underway and there are currently approximately 60 site operatives working on site.

Upper ground floor foul drainage manhole

A location beneath the seating/circulation area in the new North View Café Garden has been agreed, to locate the time capsule. Visits to local schools and community groups are on-going to discuss the time capsule content required.

Planning is also underway to accommodate a Skills Centre on site, so the local community, schools and colleges etc. can experience some basic construction skills, under the supervision of IHP Vinci Construction.

Despite the snow, ice and low temperatures, building work on North View continued. We are working from the South to the North of the site and ground works are well underway with the installation of ground bearing pad foundations to one of the patient wings on the lower level of the site.

Vibro piling, which is the installation of densely compacted columns into soil, has commenced on the upper level of the site and the sub-station foundations/slab and main drainage outfall are now complete. There are currently approximately 55-60 people working on the construction site.

This month, we held open days for the public, staff, and visitors to learn more about our new mental health inpatient unit as part of an Open Doors event. Participants had the opportunity to look around the ‘live’ construction site as part of a site tour, which demonstrated a mixture of planned, in-progress and completed works. During the tour, the team told participants about the project and their roles in the construction process and answered questions. Here’s an update from one of the tours: Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust on LinkedIn: #gmmhimprovingnorthmcr 

Open days will be repeated further down the construction calendar, as the works progress.

 

 

 

 

 

Building works are continuing and we are making good progress on site, with the formation of attenuation tanks to store excess rainwater and main drainage outfall. We are continuing with site boundary vacuum excavation work and limescale modification. Backfill to the retaining wall has been completed and gabion walls are 75% complete.

This month, as part of the social value plan, stakeholders from GMMH, DAY Project Management Ltd, and Integrated Health Projects (IHP) - The Trust’s Principal Supply Chain Partner for the new North View building - spent time litter picking in Crumpsall Park and surrounding areas. Positive feedback was received by residents, passers-by and ‘Keep Manchester Tidy’. 27 bags of rubbish were collected. You can read more about this here: Clean up crew around North Manchester hospital site! | News and Events | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

Also, within the month, IHP held a ‘Safety Moment Stand Down’ session, a guest speaker provided a very poignant Health and Safety presentation, to compliment a very informative event. Further events will be held as construction progresses.

 

 

 

We are making good progress on the new unit. Demolition of all remaining buildings on the site is now complete. We now have full access to the entire site with the final restricted area handed over from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust to GMMH and Integrated Health Projects, our Principal Supply Chain Partner, in December 2022.

Due to the size and nature of the land, a significant amount of work in the early stages is required to level up the site. New reinforced concrete retaining walls, down the centre of the site, which also form the central access corridor for the new building, will be completed by the end of January 2023. Stone gabion retaining walls being constructed along the Crescent Road site perimeter will support the building's external grounds and gardens.

Over the next 3 months, work will continue across the site, largely below ground as the core building infrastructure is put in place, including the installation of new below ground drainage and utility services that will enable the new development to function.

Other works includes the buildings foundations and the installation of the prefabricated, structural steel frames. This is when the outline of the building will become very much visible!

Watch our construction video to see how the new building will take shape. We are currently around the 20 sec mark.  

Building works for North View - our new purpose-built development – continues on the North Manchester General Hospital site.

The photos below show the construction of the reinforced concrete structural retaining walls that also form the central access corridor for the new building.

 

The photos below show the stone gabion retaining walls being constructed along the Crescent Road site perimeter that will support the building's external grounds and gardens.

A ‘ground breaking’ ceremony was held on Thursday 24 November 2022 and invited partners to celebrate and mark the key milestone in the project. Read more here: Ground Breaking marks official start of North View – Manchester’s new £105 million mental health unit | News and Events | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

 

Piling and concrete pouring takes place to form the foundations for the central spine of North View.  

Concrete pouring takes place

Piling to form the foundations of North View

Work is continuing to demolish the remaining site buildings and isolate any ‘live’ site services that were left in-situ. 

Demolition removal work

 

Building work continues on site. IHP have been erecting safety fencing to secure the site perimeter and deployed welfare facilities for construction staff. Initial works are underway to level the site off, including removal of old basement structures on the site. ​ 

Bulldozers levelling the site 

We’ve taken possession of the site for our new development alongside our contractor, IHP, to begin the construction of North View. Demolition has concluded by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), and the site has been formally handed over to us. 

Below are start and finish photographs showing the work completed on the site of our new development. 

Start of demolition & asbestos removal work

Completion of demolition work

Materials were kept on site for re-use in the foundations and earthworks for North View (stockpile shown above). 

Materials were salvaged for reclamation to minimise impact on landfill.