Worcester Street

The constrained town-centre site carried significant legacy conditions. Demolition arisings and made ground left by the previous contractor had to be identified, excavated and either re-engineered or removed before construction could begin, and an unknown buried concrete structure — along with several large reinforced-concrete blocks — was uncovered during excavation, requiring specialist removal without destabilising the surrounding ground.

Drainage had to be installed at depths of up to eight metres, demanding extensive excavation support and complex temporary works, while a steep gradient falling towards the town centre complicated earthworks and compaction. Throughout, the high street had to keep trading, with public safety, neighbouring buildings — including the adjacent Sense charity shop — and a live electrical substation all carefully protected.

McPhillips took a proactive, sustainability-led approach. An AI-enabled drone survey, cross-checked against traditional engineering surveys, confirmed enough material was available on site to complete infill without importing aggregate, and concrete arisings were crushed and reused as 6F2 capping. Drainage was built progressively into the fill layers, and a 15-metre hand-dug tunnel through sandstone — using a timber heading frame — connected the new system to the existing highway drainage without closing the busy high street.

Precast L-shaped wall units protected the adjacent Sense unit, while precast steps and a three-tiered Tobermore dry-wall system replaced slower in-situ construction. Specialist low-vibration compaction, dust suppression, a live traffic-management plan and daily public liaison kept the town centre operating throughout.

The scheme was delivered on programme and within budget, with a defect-free handover and full compliance across all KPIs. Around 85% of materials were recycled or reused on site — including 4,000 tonnes of crushed concrete — cutting waste to landfill and reducing vehicle movements, and strong local sourcing against a 30-mile target saw roughly £844,000 spent with local micro, small and medium enterprises.

Community value ran alongside the construction: pupils from Sutton Park Primary School planted bulbs in the park, commemorated with a plaque, and the team repaired and reglazed the neighbouring Sense charity shop. Talbot Park opens in Spring 2026, giving Kidderminster a welcoming, accessible green space at the heart of its regenerated town centre.