Montel Civil Engineering has been engaged by Martin Grant Homes to commence work on the first phase of the approved development at Cokerhurst Farm, Bridgwater. These works will include:

• Formation of a temporary site access on the A39 and initial on-site set-up for welfare and parking.
• Archaeological investigations during the enabling phase of the works.
• Construction of a new signalised junction and secondary access junction on the A39 into the site.
• A39 road and drainage improvement works associated with the formation of the two new junctions.
• On-site earthwork reprofiling, ahead of main construction work.
• Construction of all Phase 1 roads, sewers, surface water balancing pond, installation of multi-utilities.
• Underground diversion of existing overhead powerlines.
• All Phase 1 landscaping and planting works including delivery of initial play areas.
• Profiling and formation of the school site, on the western part of Phase 1. This land will be handed over to Somerset Council who will be constructing the school under a separate contract.
• Land parcel delivery to Martin Grant Homes and Cavanna Homes for construction of Phase 1 housing (238 plots).

Work will commence onsite at the beginning of March with advance enabling works, to form a temporary construction access, having commenced in the second week of February. The anticipated civil engineering works duration, ahead of house construction, is 12 months.

When will Montel arrive on site?

We commence early works by levelling the ground where our compound will be going, this includes stoning up the area to create a base for our welfare units to be placed, these advance works commenced on 7 th February. The site welfare and office complex will be installed around mid-March. Major works will commence in March across the extent of the A39 at the front of the site together with earthworks across the whole of the site for the following 3-4 months. The main scheme road and sewer construction will follow the completion of the earthworks from June onwards.

Why is the work needed?

The new A39 junctions, road improvements, and civil engineering works are part of the approved scheme to enable the Phase 1 delivery of 238 new homes, and a school site which Somerset Council will be developing.

How long will the work take?

We anticipate that construction of the main infrastructure civil engineering works will be completed in early 2025.

Will there be a lot more traffic?

Due to the nature of the project additional vehicles will require access to and egress from the A39 onto the site. This will be undertaken in a controlled manner to reduce the impact on the surrounding community and wider road users.

How will the traffic be controlled?

Having liaised closely with Somerset Highways we are well aware that the A39 is the main route for traffic in and out of Hinkley Point and is also a main holiday route from Bridgwater to the coast. Working closely with Somerset Highways we will be carrying out daytime works while maintaining two way traffic flows on the A39. A temporary 20mph speed limit has been put in place, through the area on the A39 where the works are taking place, for the safety of our workforce and the wider public. When Temporary traffic Control (lights) is needed this will take place at night. There will be no right turn into, or out of, the site to stop site traffic crossing the traffic flow when entering, or leaving, the site. Ultimately, to complete the final surfacing works, there will be the need for some night closures towards the end of the junction and A39 improvement works. These will be planned and agreed with Somerset Highways, prior to commencement.

What days will Montel be working?

Generally, Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm. As noted above there will be operations which will require night working. This work will be agreed, prior to commencement, with Somerset Highways.

Will there be a lot of mud, noise, and dust?

Montel will be carrying out daily road sweeping on the A39 across the site frontage and beyond for the duration of the contracted works to ensure the highway remains clear of debris. When necessary, we will maintain a wheel wash facility at the site gate for exiting vehicles.

We will endeavor to keep dust creation to a minimum, employing damping down methods during dry periods, particularly during the bulk earthworks operation. Damping down operations will be pre-emptive after checking the weather forecast and current site conditions during the daily pre-start inspection and ongoing daily monitoring.

Our machinery has the latest technology in noise suppression, though we still monitor noise levels throughout the day to ensure they are reduced to a minimum and are within acceptable levels. We will also be installing sound and air monitoring stations at the site boundaries to record the environmental conditions. These will alert the site management team to any anomalies during the works.