With some projects it feels like the stars are aligned. Pretty much everything goes ahead as planned and when challenges arise they are overcome, without friction, by allowing common purpose to guide the solution. Delivering the first phase of the A1331 Link Road was one of those projects. But luck was not a factor, forging close alignment between customer, principal contractor, community and supply chain was central to success; and something that can potentially be extended into the project’s second phase.
Octavius was appointed as phase one’s principal contractor by Essex County Council, to deliver 1.8 kilometres of new dual carriageway, a new main roundabout, two intermediate roundabouts, and a 5-metre-wide segregated footway and cycleway. The new road will unlock the development of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community – which comprises up to 9,000 new homes and supporting amenities.
Stakeholder engagement was continuous, encompassing public consultation events, resident letters, progress newsletters, and a digital information portal. The project delivered more than £6.5m in social value. This included more than £6m generated through local supply chain spend, 60 hours of apprenticeship training and more than 20 full-time equivalent local hires. Emblematic of the community’s response to the way Octavius placed their needs at the heart of delivery was the desire, expressed by a resident initially concerned about the project, that Octavius was awarded the second phase of the scheme.
Among the most project critical community relationships were the ones Octavius formed with the owners of the land on which the dual carriageway was built. Essex County Council’s confidence in the delivery team was such that Octavius was entrusted to work directly with the landowners, rather than use the council as a conduit.
This dialogue enabled a number of measures to minimise disruption to the landowners’ farming and other commercial activities to be incorporated into the project’s scope. These included several temporary culvert crossings under the construction site affording undisrupted access to farmland. Similarly construction of a new concrete track to maintain access to commercial properties and farmland was incorporated into the early works. Without this, access would have cut across the construction site.
Octavius was uniquely placed to hear the landowners’ concerns and propose viable solutions to mitigate them. With one of the first phase’s landowners also owning the land over which phase two will run, the creation of this relationship will be a significant advantage in the event Octavius is awarded the second phase.
The relationship nurtured between Octavius and Essex County Council during delivery of phase one was at the core of the project’s success. There was a strong alignment of values, open and honest communication, as well as a common vision about what success looked like and what was needed to attain it. This is evidenced not just in the success of phase one, but also the fact that the team has been asked to provide extra support for additional ongoing projects.
Aligning the supply chain with the shared customer/contractor values, and trying to integrate them as much as possible, also contributed to the project’s success. The design partnership with Arcadis proved successful during phase one, and it is hoped that relationship will have the opportunity to continue if the bid for the second phase is accepted. Using local resources was prioritised, which in the case of materials meant using a quarry virtually adjacent to the new road. Constructing a bridge in phase two, and the attendant need for materials, makes this another relationship of potential benefit if Octavius’ phase two bid is successful.
So as the work comes toward completion, Octavius is able to look back at the A1331 Link Road Phase One as a successful and rewarding project, and look forward to the possibility of maintaining the continuity of proven teams and strong stakeholder relationships established during phase one – if the company’s bid for phase two proves successful.
