Shadsworth Investment Works & Youth Hub

Project Overview

We were awarded these works on the Shadsworth estate in Blackburn, consisting of more than 850 homes undergoing investment work, comprising of replacement of dated external components; improvements to the front boundaries of properties; and upgrades to kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, we undertook the construction of the Youth Hub in the heart of the estate, a multi-function building providing the estate residents with an area to learn, socialise and work.

Investment Works:

• Surveys of and works to property boundaries, which include maintenance or replacement of hedgerows, replacement of composite fences, repair or replacement of damaged timber fences along front boundary of properties).
• Elevational structural treatments and repairs (repointing of brickwork/rendering repairs).
• Roofline clearing/cleaning where PVs cause vegetation growth.
• Component replacement - windows, external doors, rooflines and rainwater goods, including soffits and facias, and roof coverings. These were identified from lifecycle data and will require survey work to determine the final scope.
• New kitchens and bathrooms.

Youth Hub

The construction of the Youth Hub was commissioned after the property investment works, delivered within a 42-week period to budget and time.

The construction works consisted of:

• Mass-filled foundations
• Drainage system feeding into an existing system
• New BT, water, electrical connections, with a new data connection liking into the adjacent building
• Beam and block suspended floor slab
• Insulated screed, cladded walls and roof
• Aluminium window and doorsets, and an integrated roller shutter door
• Full security system and intercom
• Full Solar PV roof, panel heaters, hot water cylinders
• Intumescent paint application for fire protection

Innovation and Best Practice

Roller Shutter Door Design: As it is unusual to install a roller shutter door into a steel-framed building, the design required extensive secondary steel. This is due to the height of the roller shutter door required being to large to be fitted externally. Therefore, it needed to be fitted internally, require additional considerations for cold-bridging and fixings.

 

Stakeholder Engagement: We required access to the back of the shops situated on the estate shopping precinct for deliveries to our site compound. This required regular communications with business owners and residents, so we could minimise disruption for their own deliveries and continued access. A delivery schedule was implemented and adhered to following stakeholder meetings/discussions.

Successful Outcome

The scheme was successfully delivered in line with the agreed programme and budget, achieving a high-quality development that fully met the client’s requirements and wider community objectives. Early contractor involvement, collaborative planning and proactive risk management ensured that potential challenges were identified and mitigated at the earliest opportunity, maintaining programme certainty and cost control throughout delivery. This approach reflects our established methodology of working transparently with clients and stakeholders to achieve optimum outcomes.

Social Value

In total, we generated £2,275,360 of social value on this scheme.

As part of our Improving Lives impact, we have proudly delivered three Shadsworth Skills Academy Bootcamps in partnership with the UK Skills Academy, NewGround/Together Housing, and HearFirst, as part of the Lancashire Destination Green Skills Initiative. The bootcamps are designed to equip participants with sector-specific skills, fast-tracking them into employment opportunities within the construction sector. Each bootcamp, spanning two weeks, supports the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs, a £3 billion programme aimed at bridging the skills gap exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all three bootcamps, a total of 25 Blackburn-based learners have completed the programme. Many participants have now progressed into employment, work experience, or further training, demonstrating the initiative’s success.

Client Endorsement

Casey demonstrated strong project management and a proactive, solution-focussed approach throughout. Despite initial challenges, including resident refusals and stakeholder coordination issues, the team maintained programme momentum through effective communication, regular resident engagement, and a collaborative working style. Their efforts significantly reduced refusal rates and ensured a high standard of delivery across occupied properties.

The Youth Hub is a standout success, delivered on time and within budget, providing a modern, high-quality facility that is already making a positive difference to the local community. In addition, the wider estate improvements, including new public realm features and infrastructure for future housing, have enhanced the overall environment and long-term sustainability of the neighbourhood.

Associated Works:

Alongside the completion of the investment works and youth hub, our in-house civil specialists and new building housing teams undertook:

(LR) Creation of Park & Active Travel Route

Works consisted of a new skate park, pump track, landscaping, planting, seating and picnic benches, litter bins, block paving, bike stands, play area, sensory garden, activity loop with wayfinder points of greenspace pockets.

(NB) Ground Infilling

In preparation for the construction of new build social housing, we have also completed the installation of a foundation slab for 3 separate pockets of land, earmarked to house 11 units.