Pegler Works

Founded in 1899, Pegler grew to become one of the world’s leading producers of plumbing, heating and engineering components. This site in Leeds was one of the firm’s original manufacturing plants but by 2018 it was semi-derelict, prone to theft and vandalism and only fit for use as a low-end storage facility. The owners, AccorInvest, appointed consultants Jones Hargreaves to oversee a complete refurbishment to make the site more appealing to higher value tenants. Following a tender process, Everlast’s cost-effective bid and proven track record with Jones Hargreaves saw us appointed as the Principal Contractor.

The poor state of the Pegler site was compounded by the presence of asbestos in many areas. Other issues were inadequate drainage and insulation, fragile surfaces, and a lack of fire safety provision. The presence of members of the public (using the storage facility) added to the Health & Safety challenges as the project included demolition, hot works, plant and machinery, and multiple trades.

The first priority was asbestos removal. A specialist sub-contractor carried out a detailed survey which confirmed the presence of asbestos in the roof and wall cladding sheets, insulation, and much of the redundant plant. A full elimination programme was implemented to ensure a phased safe removal across the complete site, while refurbishment started on the stripped out bays.

With the asbestos gone and redundant M&E removed from the site, Everlast also undertook the demolition of an entire bay (adjacent to the building) and installed new steelwork to form a gable wall. Existing roof and guttering were stripped out and roof and composite wall panels (both Kingspan RW1000) installed. A mobile tower crane with specialist lifting equipment enabled use of larger length roofing sheets, accelerating the install process and reducing associated risk. (We also installed a mansafe system for future maintenance purposes).

The full schedule of works included built-up insulated flat roof system to part of the site; installation of an insulated, single-ply gutter system; supply and installation of fire doors throughout; supply and installation of electric roller shutter doors.

Enclosed fencing (incorporating vehicular and pedestrian access) enabled controlled and safe access, and we used drones to monitor movements of plant, materials, workforce, and visitors to the very busy site. Daily briefings and weekly audits by our full time Project Manager, Site Supervisor and Site Foreman further mitigated risk and ensured CDM compliance.

The refurbishment project was completed within 30 weeks and resulted in a building that is fit for purpose, has lower maintenance costs and is fully compliant with Building Regulations Part L. AccorInvest now has a site that reflects the quality associated with its property portfolio and has achieved its objective of attracting higher-paying tenants.

Everlast Group has worked on a variety of refurbishment and new build across all sectors