Fiddlers Ferry has dominated the Warrington skylines for generations. At its peak, it was producing 2,000MW of power and offered employment to hundreds of workers, but now it’s time for the space to evolve, bringing with it new employment opportunities and a redesigned landscape.
March 2020 saw the official closure of the power plant, after nearly 50 years of energy production. A decision made in line with government policy to phase out coal-fired power facilities by 2025.
The site was sold off to a Peel L&P subsidiary, Peel NRE, in July 2022 with a view to regenerating the area using a 10-to-15-year master plan.
Their proposal is to build on the brownfield site and have planned to do so in three phases. The plans will address the shortage of modern employment space by providing four industrial buildings and service yards totalling 1.4 million sq ft of floor space.
These buildings, along with parking and landscaped green space will support over 2,100 jobs for local people, 845 of which will be created by the project, adding up to an estimated £89.2m to Warrington’s vibrant and growing economy.
Civil engineering and groundworks specialist P.P. O’Connor will raze the power station’s four northern cooling towers, coal stockyard, and ex-administration buildings on Sunday 3rd December. This is the first phase of three and will pave the way for a 1.4m sq ft industrial scheme to take shape.
The entire demolition process is anticipated to be completed in 2025/2026. A full timeline for redevelopment can be found here.
The need for plant and access machines on site is where ASHBROOK come in.
ASHBROOK access hire was able to provide numerous Genie Z80-60s and Z62-40s, to help with the project.
The Genie Z80-60 is an 80ft diesel articulating boom and an excellent piece of kit for such a job. Its articulating nature and 18.29m of outreach allow the operator to reach the hardest-to-access places on the project. In addition, this MEWP has an oscillating axle and 4 wheel-drive which facilitates easy movement over rough terrain.
Whilst the Genie Z62-40 has a lower platform height than the Z80-60, at 62ft, it is equally as flexible across rough terrain and has plenty of height for the job. With a 135-degree range of motion, it also allows for accurate positioning of workers.
‘It’s exciting to be involved in such a memorable project, particularly one which is so close to the depot and so will directly impact on our local community and economy’, concludes Matt Hampson, Hire Desk Manager at ASHRBOOK (Warrington) Ltd.
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