A new era has begun for staff at West Lindsey District Council following the opening of a new £5m, purpose built central depot, nearly 20 years in the making.
The site, which was constructed and designed by partners Henry Boot Construction and Whittam Cox Architects, has now been passed over to Waste Collection and Street Cleansing Operatives, to soon begin their first waste collection journeys around the District.
The site near to Caenby Corner, was officially opened on the 26th November by local constituency MP Sir Edward Leigh, on a day which will see previous depots at North Warren Road, Gainsborough, and Gallamore Lane Industrial Estate, Market Rasen, cease operations.
The central Depot, which began being constructed back in late Autumn 2020, will secure the future of waste collection and street cleansing services in the District for many years to come.
Guests at the ceremony included local MP Sir Edward Leigh, West Lindsey District Councillors and Officers, as well as representatives from construction and architect partners Henry Boot Construction and Whittam Cox Architects, arrived to welcome in the new site to the District.
Sir Edward Leigh MP, who also recently attended the official start of construction launch at the Bowling Green Road housing site in Gainsborough, was impressed by the construction and presentation of the new site.
Sir Edward Leigh MP said: “This new site is a delight to behold. Communities deserve and need their local District Councils to lead by-example, and with this new site, not only is the Council putting the security of the District’s Operational Services at the forefront, they are also doing so with the future of the climate in mind, with the installation of solar panels, air source heat pumps, electric vehicle charging points and much more. This is thinking about what communities need from their local Councils.
“It goes without saying that I am delighted to be invited here today. Residents truly value the work that these men and women do to keep the streets clean and tidy and this base will be an excellent addition to our community.”
Also attending the event were Councillors from the District, including Leader of West Lindsey District Council, Cllr Owen Bierley, who commented: “I was last here at the launch of construction nearly a year ago — and I have to say the work that has been done in that time is absolutely incredible. My congratulations go to the team at Henry Boot Construction and Whittam Cox Architects for their vision and delivery — this site looks incredible, and it is a testament to our District that we have this central HQ for our Operational Services.
“The truth is we have known for a long time that this has been a must for us in the District. Our main duty at the Council is to provide the best possible service to our residents — and having a multi-purpose, central depot gives us the best chance of delivering operational services that our residents can rely on long into the future. My thanks and congratulations go to everybody involved, and I wish everybody here all the success for a thriving future.”
Ward Councillor for the Waddingham and Spital ward area, where the new depot is based, Cllr Jeff Summers, shared Cllr Bierley’s passion and enthusiasm for this new era at West Lindsey District Council.
Cllr Jeff Summers said: “I have kept track of this development and visited several times over the past few months, and it is fantastic to see the work now come to life. The prospect of seeing vehicles and West Lindsey operatives coming in and out is a delight — something that we envisaged many years ago. This is a fantastic use of this piece of land — and I welcome all of the operatives to their new base.”
Climate change action at the forefront of design thinking
With West Lindsey District Council committed to reducing its carbon footprint to net-zero by 2050 at the latest, the design and construction of the building has looked to reflect that.
Solar panels have been installed on the roof of the building, as well as other “green” designs, including six electric vehicle charging points, LED lighting and lighting controls, heating, cooling and hot water provided by air source heat pumps, and double glazing to ensure working environments are comfortable for workers in a way that minimises carbon emissions.
Chairman of the Council’s Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change working group, Cllr Tracey Coulson, outlined that thinking about the climate first has to become the norm for all council projects: “As you can see, we have made sure that this new modern building does not contradict our plans to reduce our carbon footprint by 2050. By having a centralised depot, with modern and climate-friendly designs such as solar panels, we take a step closer to reducing our footprint across the District.
“As part of our strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050, this type of sustainable thinking will become the norm for all projects across the Council, ensuring we make investments in our communities, but also for the benefit of our environment longer term.”
A site and design long in the making
With the site now operational, previous sites in Gainsborough and Market Rasen will be removed from operations.
Assistant Director of Operational and Commercial Services, Ady Selby, is adamant that the move was an absolute must for the District. Ady said: “This has been something we as a Council have needed for over 20 years — the sites we have in Market Rasen and Gainsborough are simply not fit for purpose and needed to be replaced. This site near Caenby Corner is modern, efficient, and meets every purpose we need it to as a Council. It has been an absolute delight to watch the process unfold from a vision to what I see before me right now. As the Leader of the Council has said, our congratulations and thanks go to everybody involved, in particular our partners Henry Boot Construction and Whittam Cox Architects who have been keeping us informed from the word go. It has been a pleasure to work with them.”
The site near Caenby Corner includes a parking area for the fleet as well as storage buildings, wash facilities, visitor parking and a main operations building, which has been positioned as a visual landmark from the A631. It is also flexible enough to act as an Emergency Planning centre for the District in times of emergency.
The facility was given the green light in April 2020 via a virtual Planning Committee meeting and it was given unanimous cross-party support.
Designed by partner organisations Henry Boot Construction and Whittam Cox Architects, the project was brought to life following the beginning of construction in late autumn 2020, with the assistance of procurement specialists, Pagabo.
Tony Shaw, Managing Director at Henry Boot Construction said: “We are thrilled to handover this top-class facility to West Lindsey District Council.
It has been a pleasure to work collaboratively with the Council and Whittam Cox Architects to deliver this future-proofed scheme and we are very pleased with the initial feedback we have received from the customer and partners.”
Daniel Cocker, Director at Whittam Cox, added: “Having been involved with this project since its inception, we’re delighted to see works complete on this sustainable new facility in Caenby Corner which centralises two previous depots, creating a more efficient operation.
“As Team Lincolnshire ambassadors we’re passionate about the West Lindsey region. It’s been a privilege to work with the Council to deliver a sustainable new depot that will help the council move towards their net zero carbon target by 2050. The sustainability agenda is hugely important to us at Whittam Cox Architects, a critical driver for us in all that we do is to reduce carbon to the greatest extent possible.”
Header image shows Chief Executive Ian Knowles, Chairman Cllr Steve England, Leader of the Council Cllr Owen Bierley and Local MP Sir Edward Leigh.
