Client: Maxxiom Ltd

Plant hire company, Maxxiom had a major problem on its hands that it asked our building consultancy team to help rectify.

The company had erected a 14 bay portacabin - which it used as an open plan office - on its site in Wolverhampton without the benefit of planning permission. It had not only received a planning enforcement notice for the structure, but the structure also failed to comply with various health and safety and building regulations. This meant that Maxxiom potentially faced a heavy fine and the loss of its office.

We submitted a retrospective planning application for the 14 bay portacabins. By going through these ‘formal’ channels, we discovered a number of mineshafts underneath the structure.

These had to be purchased and the foundations made safe by grid drilling and grouting the area under the building.

Whilst our planning application was accepted, our next task was to face up to the Building Control department at the City Council. Through a series of meetings and negotiations, we reduced the works that were initially required, and specified, tendered and administered the construction work on behalf of Maxxiom.

At a cost of just £110,000, Maxxiom were now fully compliant with all their statutory responsibilities, and the structure remains safe.