Hawthorns & Sir Geoff Hurst SEND Schools, Chelmsford

Client: Kier Construction
Contract Value: Circa £6.2m
Duration: 18 months

Project Description

Working for Kier Construction, we delivered a comprehensive groundworks and infrastructure package for two new SEND academies in Chelmsford. The project involved a significant scale of development, with the construction of over 4,000m² of new teaching facilities across the Hawthorns and Sir Geoff Hurst school buildings.

More about the scheme

• The initial 12-week enabling phase focused on establishing site levels through a 30,000m2 site strip and heavy cut & fill operations.
• We completed extensive highways and drainage works, including a new Section 38 access road and deep Section 106 sewer connections within busy public highways, alongside a substantial private drainage network featuring 1,500m³ of attenuation tanks.
• The project required a high-intensity programme, managing multiple gangs working concurrently across both school footprints. This coordination was key to ensure the new building oversites were ready for the arrival of the steel frames as scheduled.
• With the primary site access located via the residential cul-de-sac of Fox Crescent, we implemented a strict traffic management plan. High-frequency plant movements, concrete operations, and muckaway lorries were coordinated safely and respectfully, minimizing the impact on local residents throughout the build.