Top Mega Projects in the United Kingdom: The United Kingdom has one of the most developed and extensive infrastructure systems in the world from roads, railways, buildings, communication systems, power plants, and so forth.
However, this has not stopped the country from developing more such projects or even bettering the existing ones, as you will see in this article on the top mega projects in the United Kingdom, Europe.
The Big City Plan: The Re-Development Project for Birmingham City
The Big City Plan is a significant 20 years development project for Birmingham, England’s city center, aimed at increasing the size of the city core by 25% while enhancing transportation connectivity among the city’s seven “quarters.”
The US$ 13bn+ project involves the US$ 792M redevelopment of New Street station, which was launched in September 2015, a new Library of Birmingham, which was launched in September 2013, and Eastside City Park, the first new city center park since Victorian times that was launched in 2012.
The project also lays out visionary recommendations for the dismantling of the Inner Ring Road that reportedly served as a “concrete collar” restricting growth in the city center to form new seven sections. The sections, each of which has its own particular personality are the City Centre Core, Eastside, Digbeth, Southside and Highgate, Westside and Ladywood, Jewellery Quarter, and Gun Quarter.
High Speed 2’s (HS2’s) Euston Station Project
High Speed 2’s (HS2’s) Euston Station is a railway station development, particularly the transformation of Euston Station (the sixth busiest railway station in Britain, the southern terminus of the West Coast Mainline, and the busiest passenger route in Britain) into a modern transport hub that will provide high-speed rail services from London, UK, to the Midlands, the north and Scotland.
The project, which is a part of the High Speed 2 (HS2) Railway Project includes the construction of 11 new high-speed platforms that will be situated below street level and a 25,260 square meters station that will be fronted with a new 38 m glass façade, one of the proposed three new entrances that will transform the station into a light and airy destination with provision for public spaces, including shops, restaurants, and cafes.
As part of the project, the existing platforms and concourses will also be renovated, and the London Underground facilities enhanced by adding new spaces and a new ticket hall that will be four times larger than the existing one. In addition, a subway to Euston Square station will provide direct access to the station for the first time ever, and access to taxis, cycles, and buses will be improved.
The project began in 2017 and it is set to be implemented in two phases the first of which is scheduled for completion in 2026, and the second in 2033.
Battersea Power Station Redevelopment Project
Battersea Power Station Redevelopment Project is a US$ 13.36bn project that aims to transform the site of the decommissioned Grade II* listed coal-fired power station, located on a 42 acres piece of land located opposite Chelsea, approximately one mile from the Houses of Parliament with about 400m stretch of the site directly oriented towards River Thames, into a mixed-use property.
The property shall be featuring a total of 3,444 modern residential homes, 517 affordable units, a rehabilitated power station, a new tube station, 2.5 million square feet of office and retail shops, a library, a medical center, childcare facilities, and other amenities.
Rafael Violy created the master plan for the mixed-use development while Battersea Power Station Development Company is in charge of the project that is estimated to create around 15,000 job opportunities.
High Speed 2 Northolt Tunnels Project
This project involves the construction of 13.5 kilometers of tunnels between Old Oak Common railway station and Ruislip, to allow passengers on HS2 trains to travel under London from Old Oak Common.
The project is being carried out in two phases, the 8.0 km western section and the 5.5 km eastern section. The tunnels have been designed as twin bored tunnels that will be excavated using a total of four TBMs.
After the completion of the boring, all four TBMs will be retrieved at the point where the two sections meet. This site, where the TBMS will be retrieved will become the Green Park Way ventilation shaft.
The tunnels will incorporate specially designed ‘porous portals’ in all ends to lower the noise of trains when entering and exiting the tunnel as well as a mini-portal building to house electrical equipment and safety.
The Stag Brewery Project
Situated on a 22 acres piece of land in a prominent riverside location known for its industrial heritage spanning over 100 years, Stag Brewery is one of the largest development within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
The project generally involves the development of a vibrant community heart for Mortlake, establishing spaces for families to live, work and socialize. Upon completion, the project will prove a total of 667 new private and affordable homes, in addition to a secondary school, full-size community football pitch, cinema, hotel, and a lively high street with shops, bars, and restaurants to serve both new and existing local residents.
There will also be nine acres of public open space across the site, as well as a green link that connects a formerly inaccessible portion of the riverbank to the surrounding neighborhood. The riverside will be animated with landscaped open spaces and it will house a new boathouse designed for use as a rowing club.
Noteworthy, designs for the buildings draw inspiration from traditional riverside mansion blocks, as well as the brewery and warehouse heritage of the existing buildings.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm project
Developed by the Forewind consortium, Dogger Bank Wind Farm is a group of offshore wind farms that are being developed 125 to 290 kilometers off the east coast of Yorkshire, England in the North Sea.
Three phases, i.e (Creyke Beck A and B), (Teesside A and B), and (Teesside C and D) were envisioned initially. However, in 2015, the third phase was abandoned while the first and the second phase were granted consent.
First forward in 2017 the implementation of Creyke Beck A and B, and Teesside A as Dogger Bank A, B, and C, began with Dogger Bank Wind Farm Limited as the developer, while Sofia Offshore Wind Farm Limited took over Teesside B, now known as Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
Collectively the four phases, each with an installed generation capacity of 1.2GW, will make the world’s largest offshore wind farm with a combined installed capacity of 3.6GW enough to power up to 6 million homes.
Wider Elephant & Castle Project
The Elephant and Castle is the region around a major road junction in London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark where the wider Elephant and Castle project seeks to create a diversified new town center with housing, restaurants, stores, a university, workspace, leisure and cultural facilities, transportation infrastructure, and acres of the new public realm.
The construction of the new town center is taking place in three phases, the first of which is already complete. The second phase began in October 2020 with the destruction of the current shopping center site, and development on-site is already ongoing.
The third phase will begin on the site of the London College of Communication after the College has relocated to its new facility in phase two, and it will take four years to complete, with an estimated completion date of 2030.
