Premier Technical Services Group PLC (PTSG) has completed the first phase of a major project for Blackpool Council, providing a series of vital repairs to Blackpool Tower.
Following an open tender process towards the end of 2018, specialists from PTSG Building Access Specialists Ltd (from the Group’s Edinburgh office) began working on the contract in January 2019. There were two main elements to the repair work. The first was the replacement and renewal of structural steelwork at the base of the tower.
There were two main considerations that PTSG had to keep in mind at all times:
- All work was safety-critical due to the age of the tower.
- As Blackpool Tower is a Grade I listed building, all work performed had to be approved by the heritage committee prior to being undertaken. Any parts of the structure that were renewed had to be replaced with like-for-like materials.
This was the first time some of the tower’s steel had been renewed or replaced, and crucial sections had corroded over its 125-year life span. Towards the end of Phase I, PTSG’s team was on site 24-hours a day for a full week to ensure crucial deadlines were being met and that the works were carried out uninterrupted, due to the significance to the overall structural integrity of the tower.
PTSG Building Access Specialists Ltd is now in the early stages of Phase II of the contract with Blackpool Council, which is to provide ongoing maintenance work for up to four years, with the contract being renewed after each one-year period.
