The new M&S Store at Eclipse Park has been dubbed the ‘Gateway to Maidstone’ owing to its highly prominent location close to the M20. Gallagher Ltd constructed the shell and core of the new building as principal contractor.
The store was built to a high specification. The standout feature is the 18m tower – the largest structure to be built using traditional Kentish ragstone, produced by our Hermitage Quarry, in the modern era. It’s clad externally with 800m2 of Kentish Ragstone ashlar incorporating courses of Pitch-faced ashlar. Each stone unit was precisely cut, with the front faces textured to a high-gloss polished finish. The other works were extensive and comprehensive, including:
- Forming the new site levels for the building, service yard and car parking areas
- SUDs drainage and service installations, including diverting two 350mm diameter water mains around the perimeter of the site
- Boundary retaining walls
- Foundations for the new building, plus the 500-tonne steel frame
- 4,000m2 of ground-floor slab to TR34-FM3 including two lift pits and two escalator pits
- 3,800m2 of first-floor slab to BS8204-SR2
- Kingspan composite roofing and vertical cladding, and StoVentec glass rainscreen cladding
- Structural glazing to Food Hall lobby and curtain-walling to shopfront
- Intumescent fire-protection coatings to ground floor steelwork
- Internal blockwork including four stairwells and two lift shafts
- Internal decorations and finishes to core areas
- Shopfront and side canopies
- Landlord’s lighting
- Car park finishes, concrete yard slabs and access road, soft landscaping. The building achieved a BREEAM Very Good rating, with an impressive air permeability of 2.90m3/h/m2@50Pa. The Energy Performance Asset Rating for the shell and core is recorded as A (17).
The scheme showcases the integrated Gallagher approach: led by Gallagher Properties from conception to completion, it was supported throughout by our Construction, Aggregates and Masonry companies. Throughout the build process, we worked very closely with our M&S counterparts to ensure their requirements were fully delivered.
ISG carried out the store fit-out works for M&S working in collaboration with Gallagher during the latter stages of the main construction works.