Bethell Construction

Aldi, Old Colwyn

Bethell was awarded an extensive groundworks package for a new Aldi which was built at Old Colwyn, North Wales.

The contract had a duration of 31 weeks and after initial demolition works, Bethell was the first contractor to start on site to prepare the groundworks to allow nearly 300 CFA piles, upto 15m deep and 600mm in Dia, to be installed.

It was then down to Bethell to begin the first section of a long list of RC works in forming the capping beam and upstand walls to the piles, which were also broken down to the correct cut off level by Bethell. 

This extensive 150m long piled and capped retaining wall was necessary as the new Aldi was to be cut into the side of a steep hill to help limit its impact on the environment and appease local planning constraints.

Once the retaining wall was complete it allowed Bethell to complete a very successful 12000m3 muck shift to reach the correct formation level.

The site was a former petrol station and garage workshop and during the course of construction nearly 700m3 of contaminated ground was also successfully removed by Bethell.

The RC foundations, including bolt boxes, to the new building and under floor drainage were quickly installed to allow the steel erectors to erect the steel structure of the new building.

Bethell moved outside the footprint of the building to the carpark where all the drainage, including a petrol interceptor, kerbing and ducting works were completed. Two further RC walls totalling over 100m were also built, one at the front of the carpark and one to the rear.

Once the blockwork walls to the new building had been constructed it allowed Bethell to return to the building footprint and concrete the floor slab to the shop. 190m3 concrete, reinforcement, compressible filler board and visqueen were placed without the use of a concrete pump, due to the overhead steel roof, in a single day. The 50m3 slab to the warehouse side was poured two days later and powerfloated to a high standard.

The carpark was surfaced in Stone Mastic Asphalt by Bethell’s in-house surfacing team. Paving works and 3 different types of fencing to the perimeter of the site completed the new Aldi.

Bethell were also invloved in the section 278 works of the scheme which involved the construction of three new footpaths totalling 500m2 and a new refuge island with associated ligthing appartus, installed by in-house Bethell Lighting Services.  The work was completed to a tight unforgiving programme to exceptional quality and the pleasure of the client.