Project Update: Pynes Hill, Exeter Costa Coffee Completion
11/08/21
With thoughts turning to when we might return to the office, the question on everyone’s lips seems to be ‘will we finally get a staff coffee machine?’ – Apparently working from home has spoiled us with access to all kinds of coffee gadgetry!
Whilst Management maintain a tightly-lipped silence on the subject, the good news is that the new Costa Coffee on Pynes Hill has reached completion. A few weeks ago, prior to the site being handed over to be fitted out, Michael and Daisy popped up for a tour of the site to see our drawings become reality.
We have been working on the Costa site at Pynes Hill since 2017 and it is great to finally see this site come to fruition. In a previous update the site preparation was well underway, with a significant amount of soil being removed to level the site ready for construction. It was very strange to see the area flattened after years of driving past a raised bank. After a lot of back-and-forth with DCC, and some last-minute design tweaks, we reached a solution which both the client and DCC were happy with and the final project is looking very smart.
By raising part of the access a tiny amount, we were able to ensure that any surface water would drain towards a relocated gully to catch the private water run-off without needing to resort to additional drainage infrastructure, and additional costs. The footpath which originally bordered the site along Pynes Hill is being widened to create a dual foot / cycle path and will eventually be adopted by DCC under a S38 agreement. The old wooden railings which ran alongside the path were entirely rotten, not having been replaced since the 1980s, so new ones have been installed along the site boundary. Two new pedestrian and cycle connections into the site are provided from Pynes Hill, allowing access for all users, including AWP staff on their way to work!
This project has kept us on our toes, and unusually for the Transport Team, has remained with us throughout the project life cycle, giving us a valuable insight into the post-planning and construction processes.