ARQIVA, site bosses of the Bilsdale mast, today provided an update on when the new, 300m tall, mast will be constructed – and whether it will cause further disruption to viewers.
In a press event today, Arqiva announced the signing of a 30 million-pound contract to Thirsk-based steel constructer, Severfield plc, on the construction of the new permanent Bilsdale mast, set to be almost as tall as The London Shard.
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During the event Arqiva’s chief executive, Paul Donovan, confirmed that the new permanent Bilsdale mast will be completed by Winter this year, their most “ambitious” estimate of when the project would be complete.
Mr Donovan added that he was “pleased” with this date and he was “very satisfied” with the progress that had been made on its construction.
He said: “I’m very satisfied with the progress that we’re making on what will very well be one of Britain’s top 10 tallest structures at 314 metres high, weighing more than 200 tonnes with lots of very complex electronics and equipment that needs to be installed upon it.
“It’s a massive effort, and one which at the moment is on track but as with all things, it is weather dependent because you can only work at a height when wind is below a certain velocity, so we’re hoping for a good summer.”
Asked about whether actions had been taken in the construction of the new mast to ensure it does not go up in flames like the previous mast, Mr Donovan, said it was “too early to be definitive about that.”
However, he added: “but if you look at this structure, it’s a fundamentally different design, the mast you saw up on the site was a cylindrical structure.
“This is a lattice base structure which actually has some benefits in terms of its ability to tolerate both wind but if there was a fire on a lattice-based structure it is potentially less vulnerable to the catastrophic outcomes that we saw before.
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“This site is cutting edge design and the previous tower was over 50 years old and technology, construction and aerodynamics have all moved forward during that period of time.”
Mr Donovan confirmed that the process to restore peoples signals, who had fallen within a shadow area when the new interim mast was constructed, had been fully completed and finished.
Speaking about disruption once the new permanent mast has been constructed, Mr Donovan said there will be a cut over, but there will be “minimal disruption.”
He added: “there will be power testing that will be required, and we’re required to do that by Ofcom and the broadcasters, those things normally happen in the middle of the night, so I anticipate there will be minimal disruption.
“We will also do what we can to minimise the impact on people who have already suffered enough in terms of access to their signals.”
The chief executive also provided an update on the ongoing investigation into the cause of the initial fire, which he said we would hear the conclusion of in the next “one to two weeks.”
He added: “It’s been a source of frustration to us that it has taken so long, but we have to have due process around something as significant as this.”
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Mr Donovan confirmed that company had already started “a lessons learned review” into Bilsdale mast fire and that they “have put in place any number of changes in disaster recovery and crisis management.”
He added: “If there are specific lessons that emerge from the forensic examiners report, we will of course take those on board, and we of course will have to report to both Ofcom and the Department of Culture Media and Sport in terms of our overall response as well and we’ve been doing that over the last few months.”
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