Wirral, Sainsbury’s Local Store

The construction of a new 4,300 sq ft Sainsbury’s Local store at Millers Quay was proposed to serve the growing residential community at Wirral Waters. Located on the corner of Dock Road and Duke Street, next to Peel Waters’ £130m Millers Quay development, the store will be within easy walking distance of homes along Northbank and accessible from the new quayside walkway. The development will create new local jobs and provide a key walkable amenity within this regenerated brownfield area. Sustainability measures include 100% renewable electricity and LED lighting throughout, with completion anticipated in early 2026.

The site is underlain by variable Made Ground extending from approximately 1.2 m to over 5.0 m below ground level, comprising gravelly sand, sandy gravel and gravelly clay with construction related inclusions. Beneath this, natural deposits consist of soft sandy clay and silt to depths of around 9.3-10.1 m, locally organic, overlying interbedded sands and firm to very stiff clays. Medium dense to very dense sands were proven at greater depth to approximately 23 m. Overall conditions are typical of a reclaimed dockland brownfield site, and redevelopment considered piled foundations as the most suitable solution.

Menard proposed the use of Controlled Modulus Columns (CMCs) as an alternative to the originally proposed piled foundations. The adoption of the CMC technique enabled the use of shallow pad and strip foundations together with a ground bearing floor slab, providing a more cost effective solution than traditional piling. In total, approximately 150 CMCs were installed to depths ranging from 9.6 m to 11.1 m, with installation completed over a four day period. Upon completion, the works were verified by undertaking a single plate load test.