2017 has proved to be another busy, productive and exciting year for everyone involved with Mackley – here’s a quick-fire, month-by-month round up of some of the key highlights and achievements.
January
We successfully completed beach management works at Hill Head on the Hampshire coast – phase one of a coastal protection project being carried out on behalf of Fareham Borough Council. The scheme, which was divided into three sections and delivered over five weeks, re-nourished the beach to historic levels, thereby protecting the sea defences.
We also launched a new Facebook page, as part of plans to continue to develop and expand our online presence in 2017.
February
We achieved international acclaim when the Mackley piling team – working as part of Van Oord on a project in the Middle East – received a safety award. Van Oord presents a monthly safety award to one of the teams working on the Al Zour Oil Refinery project in Kuwait, and on this occasion the award went to the Mackley piling team.
Elsewhere, the Environment Agency used ‘World Wetlands Day’ on 2 February 2017 to look back at the time when Starry Smoothhound Sharks visited RSPB Medmerry.
March
On 12 March, the £31m Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls project was the subject of a feature by ITV Meridian which reported that work on the scheme was well underway, with piling works complete at two of the project’s 10 reaches.
In other news, we were nearing completion of a project to construct a new electricity substation at Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
Mackley was also a bronze sponsor of Flood and Coast 2017 (28-30 March), an industry leading event that advanced the debate about flood and coastal erosion risk, resilience and response.
April
The Broomhill Sands Coastal Defence Scheme featured in a magazine produced by the Environment Agency and its partners to ‘innovate, share and standardise’ the delivery of projects for communities.
Elsewhere, Mackley employees working on two Team Van Oord sites in West Sussex (Clay’s Lake and Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls) received specialist training on silt management, one of the leading causes of pollution generated at construction sites.
May
May was a busy month, with work getting underway on a series of improvements to Swalecliffe Water Treatment Works in Kent.
We were also commissioned by the RNLI to demolish a redundant lifeboat station at Selsey on the West Sussex coast.
Elsewhere, working on behalf of SES Water, we completed a 12-week project to ensure the river intake at Goat Bridge Treatment Works in Surrey is fish and eel friendly.
Working on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, we also completed an eight-week project to create new moorings on the River Medina.
Finally, Mackley and the other partners involved in delivery of the British Airways i360 project celebrated their first (but certainly not last) success of 2017 – picking up no fewer than three awards, including the headline accolade, at the 2017 RICS South East Awards ceremony.
June
In June, work to demolish the redundant lifeboat station at Selsey on the West Sussex coast moved into the marine phase following the arrival of a jack-up barge.
At the Clay’s Lake Flood Prevention Scheme, work was back underway following a seasonal break in on-site activities.
Working in partnership with frog environmental, we also successfully deployed ‘silt wattles’ to help control sediment at Clay’s Lake.
Elsewhere, the British Airways i360 was named the Best Public Service Building at the LABC South East Building Excellence Awards 2017.
July
Working as part of Team Van Oord and on behalf of the Environment Agency, Mackley completed a project to improve safety and access to two rivers in Surrey. The works involved the placement of a series of safety booms, a debris boom and access ramps on the Rivers Mole and Ember at East Molesey.
We also completed a project at Christ’s Hospital School – a leading independent school in West Sussex – which involved a mix of remedial and landscaping works.
We also published the first two parts of a series of articles looking at specific elements of efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of our work on the Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Flood Defence Scheme.
On 6 July, we hosted our 16th Annual Charity Golf Day, raising more than £1,000 for the Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance and McMillan Horizon Centre.
August
In August, we successfully completed the programme of major refurbishment works at East Farleigh Lock on the River Medway.
Works got underway to enhance the Knighton Water Treatment Works on the Isle of Wight, a project which improved water supply resilience on the island.
Elsewhere, the British Airways i360 project team tasted success once again, after the landmark scheme picked up the Innovation Award at the 2017 ICE South East Awards ceremony.
September
On 7 September, the Medmerry Managed Realignment Scheme was the focus of BBC Breakfast feature which included an interview with the Environment Agency’s Director of Strategy and Investment. Speaking to BBC Weather’s Matt Taylor, as part of a series of features on coastal Britain, Alison Baptiste described the scheme as a ‘fantastic example’ of a flood defence scheme.
The Environment Agency also praised the recently completed £3.6m refurbishment of East Farleigh Lock on the River Medway, describing it as ‘a great asset to visitors, river users, and wildlife for many years to come’.
And good progress continued at the Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Scheme, with work taking place at seven of the 10 reaches.
October
We were on hand to assist the Environment Agency with the construction of temporary flood barriers on the Isle of Wight on 21 October, as part of preparations for Storm Brian.
We also commenced a programme of beach replenishment works on Hayling Island in Hampshire, as part of a wider scheme to protect the area from flooding.
The British Airways i360 project team celebrated its sixth industry award of the year, with the landmark scheme picking up the Judges’ Special Award at the 2017 British Construction Industry (BCI) Awards.
We published a timelapse video showcasing the RNLI Selsey demolition project carried out earlier this year, which has since gone on to receive nearly 2k views on YouTube.
Elsewhere, the Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Scheme project team ‘wore it pink’ on 20 October to help ensure a brighter future for women affected by breast cancer.
November
November was a month to remember for the British Airways i360 – picking up three more industry awards to take the total to nine in 2017.
On 2 November the scheme won the Design through Innovation Award at the RICS Awards Grand Final, while on 17 November it received the award for Tall or Slender Structures at the 2017 Structural Awards, before going on the be selected as winner of the night’s main accolade – the Supreme Award for Structural Engineering Excellence.
December
Finally, December saw the Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls project team pick up its first accolade, a commendation in the 2017 RTPI South East Awards for Planning Excellence.
18 December 2017
