Rigby Road, Blackpool

The site, next to Blackpool FC’s new football ground, is in two parts to the east and west of Seasiders’ Way and to the north and south of Rigby Road. Both parts of the site were previously intensively developed land from Victorian times with a history of heavy industrial and commercial use that has now diminished.

The majority of the West site was formerly used as a gasworks, with two gasometers, a retort house, gasworks offices and associated infrastructure. The East site has contained heavy industrial uses in the past, evolving from tram engine sheds and municipal incinerator to illuminations depot and donkey stables.

Our site enabling package involved:

The demolition of 2 gas holders and other ancillary miscellaneous structures together with removal of waters and sludge
A comprehensive scheme of remediation works including cut and fill, on-site soil treatment, offsite recycling and capping of the site with processed arisings
Engineering works to provide site infrastructure including roads, services, landscaping and building plots
Permanently sealing off a disused tunnel which relates to the previous industrial use

During the project, bomb disposal experts had to be called after war time shells were discovered on site. The shells were found by vigilant site workers during the excavation of cellars under the Blundell Street car park. Co-ordination with the local police subsequently cordoned off Rigby Road, preventing cars and pedestrians from using it to access the famous Promenade. The site was also evacuated as was Blackpool Transport’s office on Rigby Road.

WYG Environment acted as consulting engineer and undertook the site investigation and preparation of the remediation strategy and the works were managed directly by the Council’s Capital Projects Team.