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CloseFirst phase of construction complete
Wed 19 May 2021
The first phase of construction for Wells' new lifeboat station is complete with a small team from contractors Mackley remaining to finish off some minor tasks and tidy up the site. In the past seven months, Mackley has done all the groundworks and heavy engineering for the new station, including piling and concrete foundations and the construction of a ramp for the new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat to the north and a smaller ramp for the inshore lifeboat to the east.
Volunteer crew from the station came down last week to say thank you to Mackley's team for their hard work and dedication on a project that has involved some difficult engineering and building work in a tight space and working through all weathers this winter.
Work now passes to Reside, the firm contracted to build the new boathouse building and fit out the site ready for use. Reside will rearrange the perimeter fencing to be just around the main site. This will allow public access onto the small beach by the outer harbour once again. Mackley has levelled the sand and restored the beach ready for this as it had been repeatedly dug up and rearranged during the works. Anyone using the beach is asked to keep clear of the building site and the current lifeboat station which is operational but, for now, remains closed to the public because of coronavirus restrictions.
Reside will erect the frame of the new building over the coming month, followed by the walls and roof, with the aim of it being weather-tight before winter. The whole process to build and fit out the building and outside areas should be completed in March next year. The station's brand new Shannon class lifeboat will follow after that though there will be a period of crew familiarisation and training before the new boathouse and new lifeboat officially take over duties from the current station and Mersey-class lifeboat.
For more information, pictures and regular updates on the project, please see our boathouse build pages.