Wixams, Bedford
The Project
Based upon the site of the former Elstow Storage Depot, Wixams is a new settlement comprising a town centre and several ‘villages’ with 4,500 homes.
Three miles south of Bedford, Wixams covers an area of approximately 384 hectares and will eventually house a community of around 10,000 people, with the potential to expand to a population of around 15,000.
New Settlement
Wixams will represent the single largest development in the county and straddles the border between Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire. The settlement will include 25% affordable homes, employment land, schools, shops, generous landscaping and recreational space, including sports pitches, allotments, and community buildings.
Collaborative Approach
Power On has provided a 20MVa available load from the new primary substation to feed the Wixams housing and commercial development. It is also responsible for an ongoing 11kV build-out as an extension of the electricity network connection. Particular challenges on the project included a directional drill, undertaken under a rail crossing. This required large-scale engineering input from multiple specialists. An enduring commercial relationship between Power On and Gallagher Estates enabled the delivery of a complex scheme in just 20 months from start of off-site excavation to energisation
- Electricity
Although the initial phase of the development could be serviced by the DNO from existing infrastructure, the majority of the site required the provision of a new on-site primary grid station. Gallagher Estates successfully worked with Power On to deliver the primary, together with some 5km of 33kva off-site infrastructure including directional drilling under a live railway line, completing works to budget and programme.
