Portobello Road, london
Start date: 10 January 2022
Duration: 18 weeks
Project manager: Trevor Trent
Local delivery partner: Terrafirma Pipeline Ltd
Project overview
We are upgrading 645m of existing 18 inch gas pipe from Westbourne Park Road to Chepstow Villas. This work will take place consecutively in a series of four phases:
- Phase 1 will take place between Westbourne Park Road and Colville Terrace and will last for 4 weeks.
- Phase 2 will take place between Talbot Road and Westbourne Grove and will last for 4 weeks.
- Phase 3 will take place between Colville Terrace and Chepstow Villas and will last for 5 weeks.
- Phase 4 will take place between Denbigh Close and Kensington Park Road and will last for 5 weeks.
Contacting us
You can contact our customer care centre by telephone on 0800 389 8261 (lines are open 9am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday) or by email to info@communityrelations.co.uk.
There is also a fortnightly newsletter which you can subscribe to here, to receive more project updates.
Please get in touch with us if you’d like to receive any of this information in a different language, or if you'd like a free copy of this document in large print, Braille, audio or easy read.
We always strive to minimise any disruption to our local communities wherever possible, by working as efficiently and safely as possible. While we are working, we want local businesses to operate as normal and our Loss of Business Customer Care team are available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm to help if you have any questions. They can be contacted at Box.CS.busclaims@cadentgas.com and more information can be found here.
Project updates
9 May - 12:20
As we communicated last time, our programme of work is significantly ahead of where we anticipated and as a result we're expecting to finish on-site by the end of the month.
Our final phase - Phase 4 - is between Denbigh Close and Kensington Park Road and also along Chepstow Villas.
The team are currently carrying out a deep excavation on the largest 18 inch cast iron mains pipe at the junction of Westbourne Grove and Kensington Park Road and, all being well, the gas operation and insertion should be completed by the end of next week. Preparation to replace the remaining smaller 10 inch and 16 inch cast iron pipes will follow this.
We are always grateful for the cooperation shown by businesses, residents and the market during this period. If there is anything we can do to assist, please speak to the team onsite or contact the Community Relations team.
Progress of the excavation site at the Westbourne Grove/Kensington Park Road junction - it's quite deep!
Preparatory work and excavation along Chepstow Villas
20 April - 08:45
We hope you enjoyed the long Easter weekend. Following Easter Monday, we have now returned to Portobello Road to start the final phase (Phase 4) of the gas mains replacement. The works are taking place between Denbigh Close and Kensington Park Road and are due to last for approximately 4 weeks. Please note, while we complete phase 4, the traffic management plan below will be in place. All traffic management is agreed with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Transport for London (TfL).
14 March - 16:30
We have now finished the reinstatement of Portobello Court and have tidied our sites at the junction of Chepstow Villas, and the compound at Londsdale Road, in advance of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend (15- 17 April). As previously agreed, we will resume straight after the Bank Holiday, on Tuesday 19th April to complete Phase 4 of the works occurring between Denbigh Close and Kensington Park Road. The Portobello gas mains replacement is due to finish before the end of May.
On behalf of the team at Cadent, we wish you a good break over Easter.
8 March - 08:40
Over the next week, you will see less activity on site, as the team continues tidying up, clearing the excavation at Portobello Court, and reducing the site footprint at Chepstow Villas. We will be pulling off next Thursday, on 14 April, to allow the market to trade with minimal disruption over the Easter weekend. We will then return on 19 April to complete Phase 4.
Thank you again for your continued patience, and cooperation, throughout the Portobello Road gas mains replacement.
04 April - 15:50
We are nearing completion of Phase 3 of the project, taking place between Portobello Court and Chepstow Villas. At the start of this week, we will be finishing the connections and testing of the new, upgraded pipe and we hope to start the reinstatement of the excavation at Portobello Court on Thursday.
As some of you may be aware, to minimise disruption over the Easter weekend, 15-17 April, we have agreed with RBKC and the Street Trading Office that we will close or tighten our workstations for the bank holiday weekend. We are working to finish the reinstatement of Portobello Court, alongside shrinking our other site at the junction of Chepstow Villas and the compound at Londsdale Road. Our current programme anticipates that after Easter weekend, Portobello Road will only be impacted south of Westbourne Grove.
If you have any questions regarding the Phases or areas affected by works, please don’t hesitate to contact the community relations team.
30 March - 15:50
Today we have abandoned another 235 meters of the old cast iron gas pipe beneath Portobello Road. This means tomorrow, we can start inserting the more durable, plastic upgrades, as you can see pictured to the right. After the pipe is inserted, early next week we will start connecting the gas supply. These new pipes will help keep residents and businesses in the area stay connected to a safe and reliable gas supply.
23 March - 17:10
We are now well into Phase 3 of the works and have opened the excavation at Chepstow Villas. Our next section of pipe is due to be delivered tomorrow morning at 7am, ready for us to begin inserting on 31 March.
In Phase 3 of the works, we are threading the new plastic pipe into old 18inch metallic pipe underneath Portobello Road. The two open excavations, at Portobello Road and Chepstow Villas, are where we open the road to insert, connect and test the upgraded pipe.
Thanks to the hard work of the team onsite, work is still going according to plan, and we remain ahead of schedule. It is looking increasingly promising we will be able to reinstate the Portobello Court excavation before Easter weekend.
22 March - 10:00
Our tests of the new connection at Elgin Crescent and Portobello Road were successful last Friday, demonstrating the upgraded gas pipes will be able to cope with increased pressure well into the future. We have started to reinstate the excavation at Elgin Crescent and are on track to have this completed by Wednesday and Portobello Road opened Wednesday afternoon.
Our next section of work is Phase 3 of the gas main replacement. This phase will take place between Colville Terrace and Chepstow Villas and will last for approximately 5 weeks.
We are working hard to progress this work in advance of Easter weekend.
18 March - 08:50
The works have been progressing well and we’re pleased to finish the week ahead of our original schedule. We’ve now finished the work to replace 160m of metallic pipe between Elgin Crescent and Portobello Court with the new plastic pipe. We are testing this connection today and hope to be able to start reinstating our excavation at Elgin Crescent next week.
18 March - 11:50
Thank you to everyone who came to see us on Portobello Road this weekend. It was good to meet more of you in-person and discuss how the works are progressing.
Our feedback form, found at https://tinyurl.com/Cadentfeedback, will be open until 25 March for you to continue submitting your views and preference on competition of the works. If you’d like to speak to a member of our team for more information, please get in touch by calling 0800 389 8261 or by emailing info@communityrelations.co.uk.
7 March - 09:15
Seeking feedback on Easter pause
We have previously committed to seeking the views of Portobello Road traders and local residents about whether to pause or continue gas work during Easter.
We have agreed on two programme options, and we’re now seeking feedback on the options. If you are directly affected by the work, please share your feedback completing this online form: https://tinyurl.com/Cadentfeedback
Sharing your feedback
We will be holding two stall days at the market to encourage residents, business owners and traders to fill out the form, either online (using our tablets) or on printed copies:
- Friday 11 March between 11.00am and 3.00pm at Portobello Road Market – Stall 78 outside the Sainsbury’s Local
- Saturday 12 March between 11.00am and 3.00pm at Portobello Road Market – Stall 50 at the junction of Portobello Road and Colville Terrace.
Next steps
Once the feedback has been collated, it will be analysed during the week commencing 14 March and we will aim to provide an update in late March.
1 March - 17:15
We’ve now inserted the new pipe from Westbourne Park Road up to Elgin Crescent.
As you see pictured, there is a large valve to the right-hand side of the pipe and a concrete block acting as anchorage.
These elements of the works help us control the gas flow and are part of the preparation for the next phase of insertion that will be taking place in the coming weeks.
23 February - 15:20
After some delays due to the strong winds over the weekend, our new pipes are on site ready for us to continue the work on the main gas pipes.
We hope everyone stayed safe in the bad weather.
18 February - 10:50
The average age of the pipes on Portobello Road is 100 years and the main gas pipe we are replacing is 18inchs in diameter. The works on Portobello are part of our ongoing commitment to upgrade the gas network. The upgrades will reduce the risk of gas leaks and ensure the gas network has the capacity to cope well into the future. We’ve been using the latest engineering techniques to reduce the number of holes we dig and speed up the work to limit disruption. We appreciate your patience while we continue to complete these works.
17 February - 16:30
On Monday 21 February we will be closing Elgin Crescent for two days to finish replacing the first section of the Main Diameter Pipe. Please be aware that Elgin Crescent and Portobello Road will be closed both ways and there will be 4-way temporary traffic lights on Westbourne Grove for the diversion. All traffic management is agreed with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Transport for London (TfL).
16 February - 08:50
Last but not least for our Meet the Team series, we’d like to introduce Trevor, our project manager on Portobello Road. Some of you may have met Trevor at our in-person and digital engagement events last year. Trevor has been working in gas for six years and is responsible for all coordination of works and resource including planning, managing and monitoring the works and maintaining clear communication with all stakeholders.
15 February - 10:45
Work has now started on the main large diameter pipe and our team are working hard in the wet weather to progress the works as quickly and safely as possible. Today we’d like to introduce Marc, our Customer Delivery Manager for Portobello Road. Marc has 35 years of experience in the gas industry and is responsible for overseeing all gas engineering operations and ensuring they are completed safely and compliantly.
12 February - 09:20
Please be aware that while we finish the ongoing gas works, some of your favourite stalls may have moved. Changed locations include:
- Garcia is now located near to the Coffee Plant Shop.
- German Sausage is now at stall site 60
- Falafel Point is now outside the Office shoe shop
- ALK Fruit and Veg is now on Elgin Crescent in front of Natoora Churros
11 February - 09:00
We have continued to progress with the rail installation and are pleased to say we’re still ahead of programme.
On Monday 14 February, we are due to start digging on the main large diameter pipe. Please see the map to the right which details the diversion that will be in place along Portobello Road for this work to take place.
3 February - 16:15
Our team onsite is still on track with the programme, and the gas works are moving swiftly. Due to the team’s hard work, we feel positive that we will be able to reduce our overall programme slightly and will continue to keep you updated.
As we began our excavations on Elgin Crescent this week, we found metal piping where we were expecting to find plastic piping. This meant our team had to adjust our original plans and dig further back along Elgin Crescent to carry out this phase of the rail Installation. We’re pleased that they were successful in installing the plastic feeder pipe and did not lose any time to the planned programme.
29 January - 11:00
Today we’d like to introduce our Gas Technicians, Jamie (pictured left) and Richard (pictured right). Jamie has 13 years’ experience on the gas network and has worked alongside Mark throughout this time. Richard has 8 years’ experience in the gas industry and has spent these 8 years working alongside Mark and Jamie. The team are enjoying the experience of working in such a historic part of London and ensuring the gas supply is safeguarded into the future.
28 January - 16:00
You may have noticed that Blenheim Crescent has been closed since Tuesday 25 January to allow us to complete the rail installation safely. From Saturday 29 January, we are hoping to change this from a full closure to a directional closure. This means that traffic will be maintained eastbound at all times along Blenheim Crescent.
Please note that Talbot Road is currently access only. There is no access to Portobello Road or Blenheim Crescent from Talbot Road.
26 January - 15:30
Throughout our Portobello works you will see some familiar faces around the site. Meet Mark, the Team leader on Portobello Road. Mark has 25 years experience in the gas industry, working across our largest mains (up to 48-inch medium pressure) right down to the smallest of mains.
20 January - 12:45
We’re pleased to report that as of 20 January we are currently on track with our programme. By the end of next week, we are due to have installed 100m of the rail installation. This part of the project consists of installing a smaller plastic feeder gas main to go alongside the large diameter gas mains, to help provide gas to homes and businesses.
13 January - 09:45
On Monday 10 January, the team arrived on site and began preparing for the start of the project. We brought in our equipment and have started setting up the planned diversions for pedestrians and road users.
On Wednesday 12 January, we started excavations for the rail installation, the first component of our work, and now have the first 100m set up.
7 January - 17.30
Work will be commencing on Monday 10 January 2022 as planned. We will be mobilising our site, including segregation to keep the public safe, setting up security for the site and installing safe traffic management to ensure traffic flow can be maintained while we work. You will see our local delivery partner, Terrafirma, as well as our management team getting this all ready. We then plan to start with our excavation and investigation work on Tuesday the 11 January 2022. Over the next week you may also notice us marking up the road while we locate all underground assets to ensure all our excavations are carried out safely and efficiently.
24 December - 15.45
Updated start of work letter added to website - see top right on this page.
17 December - 11:40
Today we created this new website for our customers in order to help us stay in touch. As the project progresses, we will continue to publish documents and general project updates as they come along.
We'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy holiday and look forward to catching up with you again in January.