HS2 has received a resolution to grant planning approval from London Borough of Camden’s Planning Committee to build its construction site accommodation on the grounds of the former Maria Fidelis School, incorporating Camden’s new Construction Skills Centre.
HS2’s Euston station construction partner, Mace Dragados joint venture (MDJV), will be installing the temporary modular building in 2022 and it will be in use for the duration of the construction of the new high speed station. The planning committee gave the green light for the proposal at its planning meeting on Thursday 11th November.
Following an approved application for the Construction Skills Centre to be developed in the playground space of the former school in 2019, the plans for the centre have now been amended to provide a reconfigured facility underneath the bespoke site accommodation. The centre will be run by Camden Council and has been designed to accommodate 150 students and 30 staff. It will incorporate workshop spaces, an IT room, classrooms and will house a range of technical equipment. The current temporary skills centre in Kings Cross will relocate to this site once open.
The size and shape of the building has been designed to ensure the HS2 site accommodation and Construction Skills Centre can be co-located on the site and make the best use of the available space. The proximity of the centre to HS2 construction work will also help to facilitate relationships between the skills centre and HS2 contractors, benefitting students at the centre. It is projected that the whole HS2 project will need 34,000 people to work on it at peak construction.
HS2 Project Client for Euston, Andy Swift, said:
“Our work to construct HS2’s Euston station has begun and is set to ramp up over the coming years. We already have over 250 team members on the Euston station site and this is set to increase to 2,500 at peak construction. The in principle go ahead for Mace Dragados JV to erect the new building is a vital step in our programme and we are delighted that the design incorporates Camden’s Construction Skills Centre. There are thousands of local apprenticeship and job opportunities on the HS2 project and we look forward to working with Camden to support the education programme and provide career pathways in our community.”
The construction site office and welfare facility for MDJV will provide over 5,700m2 of space for the team to work from. There will be changing and welfare facilities which will be able to handle a peak of 2,500 on-site workers.
Jackie Duncan, Stakeholders and Communities Director for Mace Dragados JV said:
“Our site accommodation is critical to enable us to provide welfare and desk space for thousands of workers who will be helping us build HS2’s Euston station. Having the Construction Skills Centre located within the building will enable us to develop close links with the students and staff at the centre and provide opportunities for us to share our skills and experience in the construction sector with the local community.”
The accommodation will be a modular building, manufactured offsite by Premier Modular at their site in East Yorkshire. The exterior appearance of the building has been designed by Fraser Brown Mackenna Architects, following feedback from the local community.
