Build Them Up And Knock Them Down: Jobs That Get Longer

If you are working on a building site, you want your work clothes to be comfortable, hard-wearing, long-lasting, and suited to whatever weather conditions you are facing.

This will be even more true for those who find a job that takes somewhat longer than they thought. That can never be more so than when a job appears to be nearing completion or even actually at the finishing point, only for the order to arrive to knock it all down and start again.

A case of this that has made headlines is the Mast Quay Phase II development in south-east London. Greenwich Borough Council has issued an enforcement notice after developers Comer Homes Group made a series of unauthorised changes – 26 in all, from the scheme for which planning permission had been granted.

These include the external appearance of the towers, the size of the actual footprint on the ground, the absence of the proposed rooftop gardens, changes to cladding, smaller windows and balconies, a lack of wheelchair access to balconies, no children’s play area, inadequate underground car parking space and less commercial space for shops and offices.

Unwilling to let this litany of shortcomings pass, the council has ordered Comer Homes to tear the whole thing down and start again.

Cabinet member for regeneration Cllr Aiden Smith lamented the fact that a development with the “potential to deliver hundreds of beautiful riverside apartments in an exciting area of London with a rich maritime past” had turned out so badly.

He observed: “Instead, what we have is a mutant development that is a blight on the landscape, local conservation zone and heritage assets and views.”

While the decision may be understandable, those working in construction may spare a thought for those who put in all the hours constructing the towers, only for the whole thing to be reduced to rubble and started again – assuming Comer Homes is willing to rebuild it.

Failure to abide by the details of a successful planning application is not the only reason a lot of building work may go to waste. Sometimes, there can be problems that arise in construction that necessitate the demolition and rebuilding of structures.

Such a case recently arose in Cambridge, where Barratt David Wilson Homes Cambridgeshire has been developing a new housing estate at Darwin Green. Problems with foundations have led to Barratt making a planning application to demolish 36 homes.

A Barratt spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the most effective course of action at this stage is to demolish the properties and rebuild them.”

According to the Cambridge Independent, some of the new homes have already been sold, although none are occupied yet.  

There will be a lot of issues arising from this case, with residents of nearby homes having to put up with the dust and noise of the demolition process, not to mention more building afterwards.

For those who worked on the original construction, it may be a case of putting their workwear back on and returning to some familiar territory, albeit one that will have more robust foundations as they start the job all over again.