Whitstable Harbour
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Client
Canterbury City Council
Site
Whitstable Harbour, Kent
Duration
1 year
Services Used
Demolition
When a fire broke out on Whitstable harbour, Canterbury City Council contacted us to assist, continuing our long-standing relationship with the local authority. The blaze had started among the businesses on the waterfront, with cockle sheds and other premises aflame. GDL were contacted OOH by the council for an emergency response within the high-volume pedestrian tourist area – receiving a call at 5pm on a Friday and subsequently mobilising a full response by 8am on the Saturday morning.
Ten fire engines and an access vehicle were on the scene at the height of the inferno, with dozens of firefighters using hoses to douse the blaze. Crews worked hard to prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring businesses, including Whitstable Fish Market, The Crab & Winkle restaurant and the newly-opened South Quay Shed. Thankfully no one was injured in the fire, however despite the best efforts of the firefighters there was extensive damage to the affected buildings which left them in an unsafe condition.
GDL upon attendance coordinated works with the Kent Fire Service to make the structures safe initially and ensure debris was extinguished. After this we carefully dismantled those buildings that were unsalvageable, under an Asbestos watching brief (due to unconfirmed status / presence of Asbestos Containing Materials within the building) working collaboratively with our sister company Horizon Environmental. We worked through the weekend to complete the works by Monday morning.
Our scope of works included establishing exclusion zones and erecting barriers and signage, setting up skips within close proximity to the works in a safe and convenient area, asbestos watch and brief, demolition of fire-damaged fish market structure, removal of debris from area to allow Fire Service to damp down affected structures, removal of identified ACMs, clean and clear site to allow for inspection by Fire Service and install hoarding upon completion.
Due to the nature of the incident, the Council and the Fire Service required an emergency response to the situation, to make the affected buildings structurally safe and facilitate comprehensive extinguishing of the residual fires. GDL, located just 17 miles from the site and specialising in emergency response in the local area were able to mobilise and attend within a matter of hours to assist the authorities.
As with any building fire, the incident was an unexpected one, as such there were no comprehensive asbestos R&D Surveys available for the properties as they had not been earmarked for demolition prior to the fire breaking out. The damage caused by the flames also meant that materials had shifted inside the structure, and as such any assumed locations of ACMS could not be relied upon. We had ongoing asbestos watching brief while works were undertaken to accommodate potential risks.
Following extensive investigation by the Kent Fire Service and review by a structural engineer, the level of damage to the buildings was deemed sufficient to require additional works to
make them safe. GDL were recalled a week after original attendance, assigning a team to make the roof safe utilising a Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP).
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