At Bennetts, our cranes are used for a wide range of residential and commercial developments across the UK, however it was a first for us to play a part in constructing a new church.
During 2020, we provided a Jost JTL 158 tower crane on the site of Dundonald Church in South London where the existing building was demolished to make way for a new church and residential scheme to benefit the local community.
It is a unique development that is close to completion, and our crane was dismantled in December to make way for the final external building phase, and internal fitting to be completed.
Working with main contractor, Curo Construction, the JTL 158 was erected at 24 metres, with a 35 metre jib, and a max load of 4.6 tonnes. It was used for lifting the steel frame into place, as well as moving other materials on the site.
“This was a small urban site to work on, with little space, and the Jost JTL 158 was a good choice for the job, with the ability to lift the steel frame into place. In addition, a 70-tonne mobile crane was hired in to lift a very large steel girder,” said Edward Seager, Managing Director of Bennetts Cranes. “It’s great to see a unique community development taking shape in London, and I’m pleased we were able to play a part in the project.”
The new Dundonald Church, which replaces the older facility on the site, will have a main hall, meeting rooms and a youth club games area.
The three upper floors will contain 18 new apartments, which will fund the development. The project is being developed in partnership with Adoni Developments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Green Pastures CBS, a UK-wide homelessness social enterprise. The apartments will all be for private sale, but the proceeds will then be used by Green Pastures in its ‘help the homeless’ projects.
