What are we doing?
The climate is changing, and we predict there will be more frequent and fierce storms. Therefore, to deal with future challenges, we need to make sure we have additional storage. The new storm shaft in the corner of Victoria Road Car Park will hold approximately five million litres – that is the same amount as two Olympic swimming pools.
We’ll hold excess wastewater there until the weather improves and we can pump it to Woolston Wastewater Treatment Works to be treated. By doing this, we will help improve the quality of Southampton Water and help protect shellfish in the Solent. There simply isn’t space to fit it in the existing Treatment Works so we have planning permission to use some space in the Victoria Road carpark.
Where
Victoria Road car park, Southampton SO19 9EG.
Investment amount
circa £21.5 million
Start date
January 2023
Completion date
We need an abstraction licence to control groundwater levels during the excavation of the storm shaft. Completion of the works depends on when the licence is granted but we expect the shaft to be operational and the parking reinstated by late 2026.
Useful information for residents and visitors
Victoria Road Car Park will be closed during construction of the storm shaft. We plan to work Monday to Friday, 7.00am to 6.00pm. We do not expect to work at weekends, however, there may be times we may have to. We’ll notify the property owners adjacent to the construction site if we must work weekends.
Updates
We’ve built the concrete piles that will form the walls of the shaft as well as the capping beam to reinforce the individual piles and make them work together. We’ve also completed the shaft within the treatment works that will be the launching point for the tunnelling machine linking the existing structures to the new shaft. Additionally, we have increased the capacity of the existing site, so the use of the storm shaft is less frequent.
However, we’re now experiencing a delay due to the extremely wet weather during last winter. Our recent surveys show that groundwater levels are much higher than last year.
Unfortunately, we’re unable to continue the construction of the shaft until water levels have dropped or until we’ve taken the extra water from the ground, which we need to obtain a licence for – this can be a lengthy process.
The weather in the coming months could have a significant impact on our testing of the water levels and may delay our construction further.
Contact the Capital Projects Customer Team
You can email the Capital Projects Customer Team at capitalcomms@southernwater.co.uk. They will always get back to you within 5 working days, but usually less.
Alternatively, you can call Southern Water on 0330 3030 368. Just tell us you’re calling about Capital Projects, with Project Reference Number (PRN) 790124, so we can help you more quickly.
Your questions answered
The storage area will be twenty-five metres wide and twenty metres deep. We must do the dig in stages safely. The construction techniques used are standard within the industry and will look to minimise the impact to the community. We will build the new pipe and storage at the same time.
We will build a new pipe that will run under Victoria Road from the storage area to the treatment site. The pipe will be installed by digging the ground as well as drilling. This will save time and cause you less disruption.
There will be 2-way lights on Victoria Road near the junction with Swift Road for about three weeks, while we do this bit of work.
Unfortunately, the EV charging points will not be available during the works. The nearest alternative charging points in Woolston are at:
- Woodley Road SO19 9DW,
- Oakbank Road SO19 9DT
- The Colonnade SO19 2DJ.
There will be noise when we do certain construction activities. We will limit such activities to daylight hours. We are going to put a solid, wooden hoarding around the site to try to minimise the noise.
Some construction activities may cause vibration of the area. We have completed ground surveys in the area and will regularly monitor vibration levels during the work.
We have been working with the Local Authority to find the safest route for vehicles to get to and from the construction site. They’ll follow a one-way system.
The number of construction vehicles will depend on the phase of the project. At its peak, there will be around 15 lorries, arriving and leaving the site each day. Peak duration will be for a period of 6 months. We will limit deliveries during the peak times (school run), 8.30am – 9.30am and 3pm – 4pm.
We will keep mud off the roads by having a wheel wash facility on site or using a road-sweeper and our staff will park at the treatment works so that we leave you as many spaces on the local roads as possible.
We’ll restore the car park and basketball court to their current condition.
We will cover the storm tank area in slabs which contain small cells. These are filled with soil and grass seeds, to blend in better with the surroundings.
The control units, next to the storm tank, will be green to help them blend in with surroundings too.
We plan to temporarily remove the green bunds and some plants adjacent to the carpark to make space is available while we do the construction work. We are working closely with environmental specialists at Southampton City Council to re-landscape the area appropriately when the work is completed.