Demolition work has commenced at Bridgend Ford

Hughes and Salvidge won the contract to undertake a large demolition project at Bridgend Ford. The works commenced in June and are expected to take around 18 months to complete.

The awarding of this contract came after a stringent tender process, with one of the reasons we were successful being our ability to provide an all-in-one solution in-house: Demolish, Crush, Recycle.

The project involves the demolition of their engine plant, which was the largest single storey building in Europe when it was built. The project started with asbestos removal by a licensed asbestos removal contractor in line with the survey. This was followed by a soft strip of the offices to include the removal of all fixtures and fittings, furniture and services to allow for demolition.

The superstructure demolition is split into 14 stages to accommodate the range of different works required at various points of the project, and in different areas of the site. These include site establishment, the installation of welfare, asbestos removal, soft strip, demolition works, material segregation, remediation works, slab and foundation removal, material testing, and crushing, levelling and compacting of the site.

This will be followed by the substructure demolition, during which phase we will remove all foundations, piles and footings as required. We will finish the project by crushing any inert arisings on site, which will, in turn, be used to produce aggregate for re-use. 

This project will see us building on our working relationship with Ford; we undertook phased decommissioning and  demolition works at Ford Southampton in 2016, which formed part of Ford’s plans to reorganise UK operations at that time.

At Hughes and Salvidge, we prioritise safety in all we do. To ensure the highest standards of health and safety on each and every project we undertake, we put a range of control measures in place. These include:

• Fencing off danger areas to prevent unauthorised access.

• Ensure that a secure site boundary fence and appropriate warning signage is in place throughout the works. 

• Daily morning meetings of 5/10 minutes between the Hughes & Salvidge Site Manager and personnel on site, to discuss the day’s proposed activities and ensure good ongoing communication.

• Two-way radios (provided by Hughes & Salvidge) will be utilised for communication and emergency. 

• Service drawings and historical data will be checked for underground voids within the vicinity of the demolition area.

• All teams at the work face will complete a Take Five Card before commencement of works to ensure any changes are identified. 

Our project team will be made up of around 28 staff over the course of the contract. Project Manager Wayne Jeves said: “We’re thrilled to have won this contract; it’s a fantastic opportunity to undertake a diverse, multi-year project that not only allows us to demonstrate our varied areas of expertise, but also enables us to strengthen our working relationship with Ford.”

Discover our range of demolition and decommissioning services, and find out more about some of the other projects we’ve completed.