Southend Pier - McLoughlin Group Holdings Ltd

The Pier Hill lifts were installed in 2004 as part of the £6 million Pier Hill redevelopment and are located opposite the main Pier and fun fair at Southend Seafront.

McLoughlin Protective Coatings were awarded the contract to apply industrial coatings to steel works on the Lift tower and the bridge.
Before carrying out any painting, the areas had to be made safe with barriers and signs so everyone using the lift building and path to enter and exit the tower were made aware of the works being carried out and due care and consideration had to be adhered to at all times as the lift was in constant use by the general public. In addition to this we implemented a robust traffic management plan in conjunction with the client’s requirements.

The main obstacle in this project was access as the bridge was 15m above ground level. We used specialist access equipment in the form of 3 different types of MEWP’s; 33m spider, 23m spider and a niftylift HR15 boom lift. We used this method rather than scaffolding so as to keep costs down for the client. MEWP’s had to be craned in due to structural issues found on existing vehicle access points surrounding the pier. Enabling works had to be carried out in the form of bollard and paving removal to accommodate a crane. This was carried out and then re-instated by our contracting division.

The surfaces were pressure washed to remove all soluble salts and other contamination then rubbed down and filled in preparation for coatings. The team had to pay special care and attention to certain areas exhibiting corrosion and abrasion, therefore 2 patch primers were applied to ensure the required coverage and dry film thickness.
The site supervisor had to carefully monitor the weather temperature and humidity levels during the application to remain strictly in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Dry film thickness checks had be carried out particularly to corroded areas, as these will likely be areas of weakness going forward.

A primer (Interseal 670hs aluminium), a mid coat (Interseal 670hs colour OOAO5 Flotilla grey) and a top coat (Interthane 990 finish colour Ral 7046) were applied using thinners where necessary (GTA713/GTA220). All paint used was from International Paint by Akzo Nobel and paint was applied using traditional roller and brushes method.

We had an independent expert in Industrial Coatings produce a final report to confirm to the client that all works were carried out to a high standard.

I worked with McLoughlin’s on the Regents Crescent project; the rebuilding of a historic 250m long, Grade I Listed, curved façade crescent on the Southeast corner of Regents Park. Behind the façade, the new structure provides 63 super prime apartments, 9 mews houses and a town House. In the basement there are residents’ amenities, which include a swimming pool, spa pool, sauna & steam room, and a private cinema.

McLoughlin’s completed all the internal decoration works on the project. The works were carried out to a very high standard, as you would expect for apartments that are selling for up to £50 Million. The site team were well organised with proactive site management and good support from the contracts management team.

I look forward to the opportunity of working with them again in the future.

Colin J Dyson MCIOB, Project Director, Midgard