A multi-utility solution for an innovative, sustainable neighbourhood in London.
Metropolitan was contracted in 2013 to install, own and operate the electricity, water, wastewater, ultrafast fibre broadband and heat networks for phases 3, 4 and 5 of the Greenwich Millennium Village development, part of the major Thames Gateway regeneration project.
Number of utilities installed, owned and operated by Metropolitan on the GMVL site
Number of homes connected to Metropolitan’s network
Length of primary network (flow and return) when fully built
Breaking new ground
Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV), delivered as a joint venture by Taylor Wimpey Central London and Countryside Properties, takes a fresh approach to the regeneration of inner-city areas, with a strong emphasis on the importance of creating a close-knit community where residents will enjoy living and working.
When complete GMV will consist of:
- 2800 new homes and apartments
- The Village Square, complete with shops, cafés, restaurants and other commercial buildings
- A primary school and a nursery
- A 50-acre ecology park, two lakes and landscaped courtyards
Sustainability measures include rainwater harvesting, thermal and acoustic glazing and ventilation heat-recovery systems.
Having one project manager to co-ordinate everything ensured the efficient installation of the utilities, avoiding common problems such as schedule clashes and repeated groundworks, thereby achieving clear cost-saving gains.
The complete package
The GMV project demonstrates the benefits of adopting a multi-utility approach to the procurement and installation of connections for new homes. Sourcing the utilities: heat, ultrafast fibre broadband, electricity, water and wastewater from one network provider saved time in the procurement phase, by avoiding the need to negotiate with multiple companies to achieve the best deal.
The heat network
Metropolitan is known for its expertise in district energy networks. At GMV, the company was responsible for designing and building the primary heat network, including the heat substations within the basements of each of the buildings. It then adopted the secondary heat network within the building, which had been installed by the developer. The heat network is supplied by a gas CHP-powered energy centre owned and operated by a third party.
Ultrafast communications
Working with other businesses within the BUUK Infrastructure Group, Metropolitan has installed an ultrafast fibre broadband network at GMV. Each home within the development is connected to the network which delivers the full range of telephone service options and broadband speeds of 300Mbps now and is future-ready for speeds of 1Gbps.
Electricity
Metropolitan has installed the High Voltage (HV) mains network on site, including the 11 substations, and connected it to the upstream operator’s network. The company has also installed the Low Voltage (LV) mains distribution network and the service connections to each of the new residential buildings. Under BUUK’s Independent Distribution Network Operator licence, Metropolitan operates and maintains the electricity distribution network.
Water and wastewater
Metropolitan supplies the entire development of both the residential units and the commercial buildings with potable water and handles the disposal of wastewater. Under a NAV licence granted by OFWAT, Metropolitan installed, owns and operates the site’s water network in the same way that a traditional, geographically based water company would have done in the past.
Customers enjoy a high level of service and the developer benefits from competitive pricing and innovative supply solutions. In addition, delivering the water networks as part of a multi-utility solution meant that the developer only had to deal with Metropolitan.
Metropolitan’s expertise across all the utilities meant that we were able to work with them as a one-stop shop for the utility networks for GMV, saving valuable time and costs. The decision to work with them on the provision of the district heating network for the development meant that we were able to meet the carbon reduction target set by planning, whilst delivering affordable, reliable heating to our residents.
Chris Genner,
GMV Project Director, Taylor Wimpey Central London