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CRM Architects Expansion continues at Lakeside Retail Park,

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Expansion continues at Lakeside Retail Park, part of the destination shopping area at West Thurrock, Essex, with the expansion of the largest concentration of retail accommodation in Europe.

Having completed the construction of a new retail terrace at Lakeside Retail Park, Thurrock some years ago, CRM Architects was invited by Ravenside Investments Limited, a retail park investment and development subsidiary of Land Securities, to further extend the retail park terrace, driven by tenant demand.

The proposal involved the relocation of a stand-alone restaurant, diversion of Anglian Water sewer systems, the re-alignment of the main arterial road through the park, new bus stops, re-configuring the car park and major landscaping works.

Working with the design team and Land Securities in-house project managers, CRM Architects, working with appointed planning consultants, obtained planning consent for an additional 38,500sqft of development together with the re-location and expansion of the restaurant within the retail park.

The terrace extension represents a further step in the development of Lakeside Retail Park area as one of the prime shopping destinations in the South East. Previous development work to enhance the retail offer has included creating a 90,000sqft two storey Megastore for Currys, the introduction of three catering outlets for Costa, Nandos and Subway to extend the dwell time and the re-imaging of the frontages of the park in a more contemporary style to reflect that of the retail terrace extension.

The tender for the work was won by McLaren Construction, a locally based national contractor, and following analysis of the critical path procurement programme the steel lead-in times were met through early placing of orders during the tender period so that rapid progress could be achieved on site.

The design of the terrace incorporates a standing seam aluminium roof in sinusoidal swept form with chevron and horizontal cladding below on a river bed Lignacite two tone facing masonry block work plinth. Glazed entrances are equipped with electric horizontal sliding doors and sign frame bars off-set from the building above. Corner wrap-around.

Technal structural glazing provides a striking corner display to the block and enhances the permeability of the built form.

Work on the extension started in August 2011 and the first phase restaurant was completed in time for the retail extension works to start in January 2012. The Anglian Water sewer which was located beneath the proposed extension was diverted. This involved sheet piling and 6 metre deep excavations across one of the retail park entrances. Sheet piling was also used to the highways boundary to create the extended service yard area which was screened from the main access road into the park with a three metre high planted bund. The car park re-configuation provides 270 parking spaces in front of the retail terrace which helps to balance the distribution of parking on site.

Having worked with McLaren Construction in the past the team were pleased to have Site Agent, Charlie Ryder, on the team to ensure that the project was moved forward in an expeditious manner to allow the tenants access for fit out for August Bank Holiday trade.

New retail park tenant totem signage and a new mini-totem pole for the extension completed the works.

www.crm-arch.co.uk