Builders working on £12m storage facility at Manchester’s historic Rocket site

Building firm Triton Construction is making progress on a new multi-million pound storage facility next to a historic site in Manchester.

The £12m development is located in the Castlefield area, close to the site of the first run of Victorian engineer George Stephenson’s famous Rocket locomotive.

Triton Construction is delivering the 92,000 sq ft scheme for Big Yellow Self Storage Company, which has owned the land for 12 years but only recently secured planning consent.

Plans for the facility were delayed in 2012 by Network Rail’s compulsory purchase order and more recently by lengthy negotiations with Manchester City Council.

Triton has had to negotiate strict guidelines and an extensive method statement to ensure there is no damage to the nearby train line, which was recently extended as part of the Ordsall Chord project.

The development is due to see steel work go in next week.

Triton Construction is headquartered in West Yorkshire but has a North West office near Warrington.

The firm’s MD, Michael Parkinson, said: “Whilst this should be a relatively straightforward five storey build we are having to take extra care and adjust our methods to adhere to the strict vibration monitoring that is being undertaken by Network Rail.

“We’re doing everything we can to ensure that there is limited ground movement, avoiding disturbance to the lines.”

Nigel Hartley, construction director at Big Yellow, commented: “We had a requirement from the local authority to ensure that we built an exemplar building with high quality public realm, and that the construction and finish was sensitive to the surroundings.

“To do so we needed a company with the experience and technical expertise to deliver despite the complexities, and Triton seem to be thriving on the challenge.”