Provision of temporary access utilising traditional tube & fitting scaffolding integrated with loading bay platforms and HAKI staircases.

Edward’s Birch is an idyllic, exclusive development backing onto woodland countryside on the outskirts of the historic market-style town of Morpeth in Northumberland, known for its quaint streets lined with shops, restaurants, and bars. The new development, comprising a mixture of stylish contemporary 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes designed with the latest fixtures and fittings, is built to a high specification.

The development is divided into two halves; the north contains seven house types for private sale, and the south contains six house types for private sale with a mixture of rent-to-buy, affordable rent, and shared ownership properties available via Castles & Coast Housing Association.

Residents benefit from excellent commuter links with the A1 close by and Morpeth train station on the East Coast Main Line, providing passenger services to Edinburgh and London.

Edward’s Birch is only a 15-minute drive to the breathtaking Northumberland coastline; the dramatic shoreline has many historic castles with over 30 miles of unspoilt beaches.

Edward’s Birch is built on a former mental health hospital site in Morpeth that had become surplus to NHS requirements. So, Lovell’s purchased the two areas of land and then demolished the disused hospital buildings to repurpose the brownfield site, with the generated funds from the sale benefiting the nearby Northgate Hospital.

The overall finished scheme covering two plots of land delivers a well-planned neighbourhood (the Northern parcel is a mixture of 53 four- and five-bedroom houses for private sale, and the Southern site has 88 properties, including 25 affordable homes). Lovell also spent an additional £50,000 on renovating a prominent water tower that has been kept as a feature in an area of open space; an appointed management company now maintains the structure.

To support Lovell in building the new houses, scaffolding is progressively raised in line with brickwork progress, and integrated up-and-over loading bays support the efficient delivery of materials for both external and internal works, as well as the removal of waste. Brick guard protection panels are then attached to all boarded lifts to prevent the risk of falling debris or material, to enhance site safety. Then HAKI staircases are integrated to improve on-site efficiency and provide scheduled trades, including bricklayers, glaziers and roofers, with safe access and egress to their designated work area level.

To keep the overall project delivery on schedule and support the phased build programme, Enigma’s operational team worked closely with the client to organise scaffold erection/dismantling requirements along with scaffold material logistics.

All the scaffold structures using traditional tube and fitting equipment are erected on-site within TG:20/21 compliance; every HAKI scaffold staircase assembled on plots is built in accordance with the HAKI system scaffolding manual.