21st February 2020

Van Elle Limited piles foundations that kick-start 3,000 new home development in London

Architects Impression of Beam Park Development. Photo courtesy of : Countryside Homes

Working with Countryside Homes, our Piling division have been installing Continuous Flight Auger (CFA) bored piles and Precast Concrete (PCC) driven piles on the site of a derelict former factory in the London Boroughs of Barking, Dagenham and Havering.

Our work encompassed piling the foundations for 8no Apartment blocks, 5no terrace blocks and 4no Gas Crossing Bridges, where we installed over 1800No. CFA piles and 700 No. drive PCC utilising our Soilmec SF50 and Juntann PMX22 rigs.

Outlined as a two-year piling project at the outset, we worked hard with Countryside Homes and Cadnet Gas to provide effective solutions, including working with a high-pressure gas main, to finish the project within 18 weeks.

A credit to the collaborative approach, skill and competence of our Engineers to develop the right solutions and overcome somewhat dangerous challenges, but also finish the project over 15-months earlier than scheduled.


Malcolm O’Sullivan, Piling Director for Van Elle stated,

“The key to the success of this project was the collaboration between Countryside, Cadnet Gas and our team to deliver a piling solution that focused on time and labour efficiencies, whilst maintaining excellent safety and quality in delivery. Credit goes to our highly skilled Engineering team, coupled with some of the most powerful and versatile rigs on our fleet, having the ability to deliver such an innovative and expedient solution that the customer has been extremely happy with. This is what Van Elle does best.”