Builders working on SE1’s second tallest tower told to come by car
Building work is set to begin on a development in Blackfriars Road that includes the second tallest tower in SE1 after the Shard - but construction workers are being told to come to the site by car rather than public transport.
The site known as 18 Blackfriars Road – which stretches west to Paris Garden and north to Stamford Street – changed hands at the end of last year in a £235 million deal.
In recent weeks there has been a flurry of activity around the site to prepare for construction work, with hoardings repainted and new access gates created.
This week new notices setting out 'COVID-19 policies and procedures' have been posted around the site boundary by Kilhan Construction Ltd.
The notice says: "Kilhan Construction Ltd will be working on the development known as 18 Blackfriars.
"We have put together the following policies and procedures to meet and exceed the Government guidelines during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic to ensure we are protecting our workforce and minimising the risk of spread of infection."
According to the document, "no operatives will be travelling to site via public transport" and parking will be provided for workers who should "drive alone in their vehicles".
The document doesn't specify how workers without access to a car should travel.
Kilhan says that the site will have fewer than 10 operatives at one one time, and that the fingerprint scanners often used to control construction site access will be eschewed in favour of pen and paper.
Workers are advised to bring their own lunch and cutlery and to sit two metres apart whilst eating.
Kilhan says that its staff will be able to observe social distancing at all times: "due to the size of the site and the works being carried out there is no need for close working".
The development includes 288 homes, a 548-room hotel, a music venue, shops and offices in buildings up to 53 storeys high.
