Lanes goes behind the scenes at Beeb

Drainage specialist Lanes for Drains has been chosen to work on Mediacity in Manchester, a £450 million project which is set to become the biggest broadcasting and media centre outside London — and new home to the BBC.

The Beeb plans to move five major divisions to occupy around a quarter of the 200-acre site at Salford Quay, although it is likely to be 2011 before the Corporation’s move is complete.

Managing the development is Bovis Lend Lease, one of the world’s leading project management and construction companies, who originally called in Lanes for Drains to clean and survey 2000 metres of foul and storm water drainage in May last year.

Since then, Lanes’ involvement has continued. Ben Forsyth from Lanes’ Manchester office says that it’s flexible working at its best:

“We’re called in as and when we’re needed, to clean and jet existing public drains or to use our advanced CCTV equipment — usually with a couple of days’ notice. And we’re happy to work that way.”

Bruno Quiligotti, commercial manger for Bovis Lend Lease, says that the arrangement is working well:

“The Lanes’ crews have tackled all the different tasks we’ve asked of them. And because Lanes has the technology and resources to respond quickly and professionally, we’ve built a solid working relationship which looks set to continue for the duration of the project.”