EJT Construction

Trinity Park is the largest project EJT Construction has worked on with Premier Guarantee. Can you tell us about a bit about the project?

The project comprises 132 homes of mixed tenure, there are 95 shared ownership homes and 37 rentable homes. They are traditional build constructed, two storey houses and bungalows. Two of the bungalows are shared ownership fully M4 (3) compliant homes which is very unusual for shared ownership schemes and will benefit local people requiring this type of home.

The scheme includes an extensive public open space green area in excess of four hectares, including a fenced-off play area with ROSPA approved equipment, contoured play and footpaths through open wildflower meadows, for the local community.

A key element is the introduction of a new roundabout at the entrance of the development, including upgrading of the local footpaths and new footpaths, which will benefit the local community.

All developments, even sites with such high quality of standards as Trinity Park, face challenges along the way. Are you able to talk us through some of the obstacles you faced on this site and how you overcame them in order for it to become the success it is?

Ecology Translocation

This area is home to both common lizards and slow worms which were abundant in numbers on this site.

Working closely with our ecology consultant, we undertook a planned translocation of these protected species to neighbouring land. Neither EJT nor the ecologists were prepared for the shear number and frequency of reptiles being caught and our strategy to create a presence-absence site took several gear changes in order to make a start on site.

We created several new nesting and sunbathing sites outside of the project boundary to ensure trapped reptiles weren’t tempted to reenter and we adopted a painstakingly long process of hand tool habitat removal to ensure no reptiles were harmed when construction activities commenced.

We are overwhelmingly proud that we were able to relocate so many, which will hopefully make new homes in the green spaces we have now produced as part of the site wide design.

High Water Table

Constructing the residential area and public open space required a substantial earthmoving exercise, on land with a very high water table. EJT engineered a site wide dewatering mechanism through the permanent drainage system, to facilitate these works effectively whilst balancing the generated muck through strategic design of the POS. This, in turn, reduced the site’s carbon footprint by eradicating disposed muck off site.

New roundabout

The requirement of a new roundabout has been challenging. Not only was it constructed through a section of 278, on a small country lane, but included the facilitation of construction deliveries on a 90 degree bend. All the while, maintaining positive local support.

Fortunately, EJT benefit from an in-house civil engineering and groundworks division which enables us to seamlessly coordinate with the construction team on site. This allows us to work as one team with the same objective and through regular dialogue with community partners, we have now completed 95% of these disruptive works, with only a handful of queries from local residences.

Sector inflation

As everyone, in all industries, are aware the difficult financial climate we find ourselves in has influenced the sourcing and procurement of materials.

With price increases and shortages of certain materials, we have had to monitor and manage the situation diligently in order not to impact the scheme. With our dedicated in-house procurement, design and surveying teams, along with trusted supply partners and sub-contractors, we have worked tirelessly to maintain cost control across the project.

At Premier Guarantee, we work alongside site teams to find effective solutions, offering flexibility with our Technical Manual. What has your experience been like working with Premier Guarantee?

We find working with Premier Guarantee team a very pleasant experience. They have all been very helpful and Scott Harris is very proactive.

We have ongoing regular visits from the inspectors, with thorough reports identifying any issues we may have on site, which we action swiftly and respond accordingly. The process and progress has been very positive.

Our ethos at Premier Guarantee is strongly rooted in teamwork and sensible collaboration. It is clear the same is true for EJT Construction. You worked closely with Home Group on this development. What would say the secret is behind successful teamwork like yours?

Having worked with Premier Guarantee for a number of years, we believe teamwork is achieved through communication, honesty and respect from all parties. Everyone has a job to do and that needs to be recognised.

Whenever we have needed clarification on a detail or regulation, the advice has been provided. We are not afraid to raise any issue or concern, knowing that we will receive positive feedback and assistance. This partnering teamwork is invaluable and is why we return to Premier Guarantee on all main contract projects.

After a recent independent audit of Trinity Park, the site cleanliness was described as 'possibly the best seen in nine years'. To any builders out there who strive to achieve such standards, what advice would you give on maintaining such high quality?

It is fundamentally important to EJ Taylor that the housekeeping and general appearance of the site is as best as it can be. This makes everyone working on site feel comfortable in their surroundings and helps create a positive environment where operatives are happy to come to site to work.

We have provided adequate resources, plant and material to achieve it. We have used segregated skips in a designated area and used a high number of tipper skips, located close to the properties, along with black bins to each plot.

We have maintained a clear, well-lit pedestrian route around the site and use our own in-house road sweeper company, Millstar Plant, to maintain road cleanliness, as well as a sweeper that fits onto the forklift.

During the summer months we have a bowser working full time on dust control, using grey water from one of the SUDs detention basins within the public open space.

EJT Construction and Trinity Park won a Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Award recently. It is a real joy for us at Premier Guarantee to recognise site teams in our prestigious Excellence Awards programme. What does it mean to you and your team to receive these awards?

Winning an award makes everyone involved on the site feel appreciated for the hard work they have put in and gives a morale boost to all onsite. Therefore, we cannot thank you enough for this award and acknowledging the workmanship, hard work and dedication.

We don’t aim to win awards but simply strive to do our best.

Whilst discussing quality we are proud to say that with regard to Secure by Design, although only needing to achieve Silver status, it has been expressed that the scheme is looking to be upgraded to Gold Status, due to the design implemented and the finished product.

Working with trusted and well-established sub-contractors, together with having good relationships, tested over a number of years, aids in the Management of Health, Safety & Environment The reason for this is that Sub contractors know exactly how an EJT site is run, and with respect to Quality Control, procedures and expectation are understood and adhered to. The progress on site and the demands of the programme are managed knowing the capabilities and resources available.

Going into a little bit more technical detail, are you able to tell us about the use of the swale system on the site and the why it was important?

The use of open water natural water retention swale systems onsite was important to EJT for the vast biodiversity gain.

This system will remain in place for the lifecycle of the development and will receive ongoing maintenance to ensure its performance both systematically and ecologically.

The ecological benefits from the presence of fresh water are unmeasurable and this system is the only body of fresh still water in a 1.6km radius, attracting a multitude of birds and other animals.

This area in particular already has issues with flooding and this swale will not only collect surface water run-off but also naturally occurring ground water. Its controlled release into the existing network will hopefully reduce the impact of previous flood events to local residents.

What can a homeowner be absolutely certain of when they move into an EJT Construction home?

They will be moving into a quality constructed home, consisting of high-quality materials, built to a high standard of workmanship and pride.

EJT has a well-established Customer Care department which will ensure that the residents’ concerns will be addressed swiftly and to the quality expected, in an industry often tainted with bad press on snagging and accountability. EJT will change this perspective of large housing developers.

A comprehensive Home Users Guide Pack will be provided with every property and will include all relevant contact information for Utilities, local area information and a guide to the property itself.

And finally, what does the next 12 months and beyond look like for EJT Construction?

EJT has a multitude of schemes already in the planning stages, ranging from 12 to 180 units, as part of our client-based pipeline of works.
Additionally, the EJT Group has sites under its own development brand 'Esmera'.

These are in several stages of planning and construction, and for which we are keen to continue our partnering relationship with Premier Guarantee, both in warranty and building control, and highly promote them as the leading warranty and building control provider to our clients and purchasers alike. We look forward to a challenging 2024 and a very prosperous 2025 and beyond.

If you would like to learn more about EJT Construction and the services they provide, you can do so here.