July 27, 2010 - Essex County Council looked to one of the UK’s fastest growing solutions providers to fulfil a contract to supply one of the area’s busiest railway stations with four undercover bicycle shelters and compounds . Workplace Products, from Aldridge in the West Midlands worked closely with the council during the Benfleet Railway Station regeneration projects.

In an effort to improve user facilities and reduce traffic congestion, Essex County Council invested £500,000 in the scheme to upgrade the station and its surrounding area. Benfleet is one of the busiest railway stations in Essex, sitting on the main line into London’s Fenchurch Street Station; servicing the needs of the local community and city commuters.

Part of the programme was to extend and improve bicycle shelters at the station. Workplace Products was able to research the brief and because of its wide network of resources it was able to present the council with a number of options. In order to fully understand the requirements of Benfleet Railway Station, Workplace Products attended a number of site visits and so was able to advise on which products would suit best.

As Brad Webster, Business Development Manager for Workplace Products, explained: “It wasn’t just a question of supplying the station with cycle shelters . We needed to provide a product that is robust, but would also fit in with the surroundings. After the first consultation we completed a full site survey making sure that the plans and drawings we would go on to create, ensured that everything would run smoothly.”

From beginning to end the whole project took just over two weeks. Workplace Products provided two different types of cycle shelter that cater for 100 bicycles and has eight new CCTV cameras to cover the area.

“We were really happy with the service we received from Workplace Products, and the quality of cycle storage supplied,” said Jayne Sumner, Senior Area Infrastructure Coordinator with Essex County Council. “The shelters have made a vast difference to the existing provision with 60 covered storage places and 40 cycle spaces within a fully secure cycle compound, with entry gained from a key fob. The response from cyclists wanting to use the compound has been really positive. With the 2012 Olympic cycle event taking place at Hadleigh, the provision of cycle storage will be a great asset.”

Last update: Aug. 13, 2010