Merryhill is currently working on a large asbestos removal project in Richmond, South London. The site is the former House of Fraser store on Richmond High Street.
The project will mean converting the former department store into office and separate retail units. Current plans are to convert the top four floors of the building to provide 42,000 square feet of office space while the first two floors will provide 22,000 square feet of retail and leisure space.
Following the closure of the store in September, all stock and most of the fixtures and fittings have now been removed prior to our works which began earlier this month.
All floors contain some kind of asbestos materials, most notably the false ceilings which are mostly asbestos insulation board (AIB). Each floor is being carried out 1 by 1, beginning in the basement area and working our way up to the top of the building. In addition to the ceilings, there are also a number of AIB bulkheads surrounding the escalator penetrations to each floor.
Merryhill are currently on programme with completion of our works early in 2021.
The project has been a challenge from a logistical perspective as there is no room to cite a skip on site due to space restrictions in the former loading bay area. As a result, waste is being removed daily back to our licensed asbestos transfer station for safe disposal.
