Morgan Sindall Construction has won a Pre-Contract Services Agreement to oversee the excavation and removal of over 2,000 burials at the former Strand Union Workhouse in Fitzrovia
The scheme will see 40% of the existing buildings retained, including the imposing Grade II listed workhouse. While new public space and communal gardens, designed to enhance the historic character of the listed building, will be created within the heart of Fitzrovia.
The Strand Union Workhouse site is thought to have inspired Dickens’ most famous work, Oliver Twist.
The redevelopment project for Middlesex Annexe LLP, a subsidiary of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charity, is part of The Bedford Passage Development, which falls within the Charlotte Street Conservation Area, and is part of the Fitzrovia Area Action Plan.
As part of the wider development plan, Morgan Sindall Construction will deliver a mixed-use development consisting of commercial, healthcare and residential space behind the workhouse.
The eight-storey building will house 34 residential units in Fitzrovia, of which approximately 70% will be affordable. The building will provide circa 5,000 sq ft of commercial space and healthcare facilities including a new MRI Imaging Suite.
The excavation of the former Strand Union Workhouse
The first phase of work on the development at Fitzrovia will see Morgan Sindall Construction support and enable archaeologists to safely excavate and remove thousands of bodies buried at the site, linked to its historic use as a local cemetery and workhouse.
The enabling works package involves a complex phasing of temporary and permanent works to enable the archaeologists to safely access their work areas while excavating to depths of approximately four and a half metres, mainly by hand.
In total, an estimated 7,000 cubic metres of soil will be excavated, separated and then reviewed for bone fragments. This is expected to take around 12 to 18 months to complete.
During these works, three other buildings at the front of the site will be refurbished by another contractor, making collaboration and effective coordination fundamental to the success of both projects.
Richard Dobson, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction’s London office, said: “This is a fascinating project in an area of London that has huge cultural resonance on a global scale and it’s our privilege to be working alongside the expert archaeological team to enable the safe excavation and removal of these precious remains.
“This is a delicate and complex operation that will be delivered while works on a number of live projects around the site continue at pace. This requires expert coordination, cross-party collaboration and the experience of working effectively with minimum disruption on major schemes on logistically challenging, tight, urban sites.”
The excavation works at the former Strand Union Workhouse in Fitzrovia are due to start in January 2020. Once the enabling works are completed, works to the main building will commence in 2021.
