Background

The Ludgate Street development occupies a highly sensitive brownfield site in the historic centre of Tutbury. The land was formerly part of a glass works factory dating back to the 1500s, making it a prominent and closely scrutinised site from both planning and community perspectives.

The site’s topography was particularly challenging, with steep slopes and existing retained levels already reaching heights of up to 7 metres. The redevelopment required a solution that would unlock residential use while respecting the historic context of the town and delivering a safe, attractive environment for future residents.

The challenge

Friel Homes needed to construct a retaining wall approximately 50 metres long and up to 3.5 metres high within a very constrained setting.

Key challenges included:

  • Designing a habitable residential solution on a tight, sloping site
  • Working within a historic town centre with limited access
  • Managing significant retained heights safely
  • Meeting strict health and safety requirements during construction
  • Delivering a wall with strong aesthetic quality suitable for a prominent location
  • Balancing programme, safety and cost pressures

As both client and contractor, Friel Homes also needed a solution that simplified construction logistics while maintaining commercial viability.

The solution

Following evaluation of several alternatives—including in situ concrete walls, timber walls, precast panels and gabions—the decision was made to specify the Redi Rock™ modular retaining wall system.

Redi Rock™ was selected because it:

  • Provided a quick and straightforward build process
  • Significantly reduced on site health and safety risk
  • Offered a high quality, natural stone like appearance
  • Performed structurally in difficult ground and access conditions

Although the initial material cost was higher than some alternatives, the exceptional speed of installation delivered substantial programme and cost savings.

The outcome

The use of Redi Rock™ transformed both the delivery programme and the overall economics of the scheme.

  • Construction programme reduced from 5 weeks to just 8 days, including operative training
  • A 50 metre long, 2.5 metre high wall completed in just over a week
  • Reduced exposure to health and safety risk
  • Positive feedback from both operatives and the local community
  • Overall project cost savings achieved through programme reduction

Andrew Bache, Development Manager at Friel Homes, commented:

“The initial material cost was higher than our budget, but due to the exceptional speed of erecting the wall, our build programme was reduced from five weeks to just eight days. This resulted in an overall saving on the scheme.”

He added:

“We are now progressing our next site using this system.”