Aggregate Industries lays a solid foundation for new special needs school

As a vital learning institution at the heart of the community, Lexden Springs caters for pupils aged 3 to 19 who have complex learning difficulties or are on the Autistic spectrum. With a number of new housing developments currently under construction across North East Essex, the school is being expanded to accommodate an increasing number of children and young people expected to settle in the area over the coming years.

The expansion, which will add 50 new school places by September 2019, will see Lexden Springs completely rebuilt at a new location a mile away from the existing premises.

With site clearance initiated in February 2018, contractors Morgan Sindall and LPL Construction Services appointed Aggregate Industries, a business well known for its track record in providing reliable, on-demand supply of aggregate materials, to help create a sound foundation for the new school.

After receiving the go-ahead in June 2018, Aggregate Industries’ London team devised a special train delivery schedule to supply the large quantities of SuperFlow 63 (63/10mm aggregates) which had to be manufactured to order. Having a designated rail service ensured that the materials arrived to site within the allotted time window.

Overall, orders of 4,200 tonnes of Type 1 sub-base, 5,000 tonnes of SuperFlow 63 (63/10) and 800 tonnes SuperFlow SuDSAgg (Type 3 sub-base) were fulfilled to schedule. These high performance, hard stone aggregates will provide a solid foundation for the new school, as well as controlled water management within the project’s SuDS.

Jake Chapman, Quantity Surveyor & Estimator at LPL Construction Services, comments: “We are currently at an exciting milestone for the project, with the topping out ceremony having been celebrated this month. Overall the project has run incredibly smoothly and, as we move towards completion, we have to pay tribute to the professional and quality service of all suppliers involved, including Aggregate Industries which provided a sound and robust foundation for this important school expansion.”

Luke Thurston, Commercial Manager at Aggregate Industries, comments:  “Knowing that Lexden Springs is a much-loved school within the Colchester area, we were very pleased to play a part in its exciting relocation. With Essex County Council aiming for the highest educational standards, we are confident that the SuDS we’ve installed, together with the aggregates supplied, will provide a robust and sustainable foundation that will stand the test of time for its future learners.”

As a leading player in the construction and infrastructure industries, Aggregate Industries has created and developed a number of SuDS solutions to mitigate many of the adverse impacts of stormwater run-off in terms of both volume and pollutants. Its innovative solutions include SuperFlow Aggregates, SuperDrain asphalt, Hydromedia^® ready-mixed concrete, Lytag and Charcon Infilta permeable block paving.