The old Waitrose store was one of the most prominent buildings on the High Street but was destroyed by a fire in December 2008. R G Carter was on site as soon as the fire was out, ensuring the safety of the public by erecting temporary fencing.

“The burned out store was a two-storey structure of about 13,000 square feet. We managed (despite the mangled mess) to retain much of the first floor structure and the ground slab, and have extended the building on three elevations, increasing its size by 5,100 square feet. We also put in a new decked car park over the existing, almost doubling its spaces to 165”

Malcolm Stephenson, Account Director.

The extended car park was design by Carter Design Group, built by R G Carter Colchester and client managed by James Carter. Despite the difficulties of a confined site and the number of trades involved the rapid contract was achieved by overlapping the activities of design, procurement and construction.

The building achieved a BREEAM Very Good eco-rating, partly thanks to recyling as much of the demolished structure as possible and the retention of its first floor structure. The works also obtained a high score under the Considerate Constructors scheme.