Project update
We want to start by thanking you for your patience with us in recent months as we’ve continued to develop the detailed design for the Otley FAS.
The working arrangements brought about by the pandemic have been challenging, but we have been working incredibly hard to minimise the impact as much as possible.
Alongside the added challenge that Covid-19 brings, there are also other important factors we must consider when planning for construction delivery, particularly relating to the rich ecological environment we are working in.
The key species that require special consideration are birds (nesting), bats (roosting and maternity) and fish (spawning). The work we carry out must avoid disturbing these species at the vulnerable seasons, and the overlap of these means we have only small windows of opportunity to undertake certain construction activities at certain times of the year.
For working in the river near the bridge, which is one of the first activities that needs to take place, we have just two windows of opportunity in a year, the month of September and the month of April.
We have long been hopeful that we could achieve the September 2020 window, but the delays encountered with Covid-19 have been enough to no longer make that possible. The delays of just weeks due to Covid-19 have pushed us beyond the point of being able to start significant works this year and shift the programme to the next available window in April 2021, translating into a larger delay for the overall project.
We’re incredibly sorry that we’ve been unable to mobilise the site this year, a date that earlier in the year felt easily achievable, but with unprecedented times come unexpected impacts.
With that said, we still remain confident that other works that do not affect native wildlife can still take place, such as the detailed design and some ground investigations. We will keep you informed as these progress.
Thank you again for your support of the scheme and we will be in touch soon.
The Otley FAS project team
Revised programme
Detailed design: Autumn/Winter 2020 - March 2021
Construction begins: March 2021
Construction ends: October 2021
Ground investigations get underway
Advanced ground investigations have taken place across the site during August and September 2020. The purpose of this work was to determine the depth of the existing ground conditions which will inform the design of the sheet piling for the embankment. Sheet piling will prevent flood water passing beneath the embankment once completed.
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Meet the team
The Otley FAS involves partners from across the city and draws on a diverse set of expertise from Leeds City Council, the Environment Agency, WSP and construction contractors BAM Mott MacDonald Joint Venture (BMMjv)
This edition, we're introducing Dan Nicholls, Site Agent at BAM Nuttall.
Dan will be managing the scheme on behalf of our construction partners who were appointed in early 2020. To date, Dan and the team have been planning for construction delivery, such as preparing the site where possible and identifying and mitigating risks to the ecological and historical conditions on site.
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