Construction Management is the highest circulation construction-based publication serving the UK built environment.
News
Photos | Atkins reveals historic canal in centre of Cardiff
Neil Gerrard Associate editor
Atkins has helped to uncover the dock feeder canal in Churchill Way, Cardiff (Image courtesy of Atkins)
Atkins has helped to reveal a historic canal in Cardiff centre, which has been covered for more than 70 years.
Cardiff Council appointed Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, to provide project management and commercial support on a £6m regeneration project in the city.
The scheme involves the ‘daylighting’ of 70 metres of the Dock Feeder Canal on Churchill Way, Cardiff.
This is not a paywall. Registration allows us to enhance your experience across Construction Management and ensure we deliver you quality editorial content.
Registering also means you can manage your own CPDs, comments, newsletter sign-ups and privacy settings.
The 19th century dock feeder provided a constant supply of water to the Bute docks. This allowed large container ships to dock in Cardiff, regardless of the tide, helping the city to become a world-leading exporter of iron ore and coal.
Aerial view of the uncovered dock feeder canal
The dock feeder was paved over between 1948 and 1950. It will now form the centrepiece of a new sustainable urban district in the city centre.
Bridges and rain gardens
The scheme also involves construction of two pedestrian footbridges, a cantilevered stage and rain gardens to manage surface water drainage, among other structures.
Atkins has designed the project, which also includes the upgrade of the surrounding highways network with the creation of cycleways, EV taxi charging points, refurbishment of existing roads and new bus links.
Artist’s impression of how the redeveloped Churchill Way area will look (Image courtesy of Atkins)
Ben Ferguson, senior landscape architect for Atkins and lead designer on the project, said: “It’s great to be able to reflect the industrial heritage of the area by re-opening the dock feeder.
“During the late 19th and the early 20th century this waterway was at the centre of a tree-lined boulevard and to re-establish that aesthetic, and to reveal the waterway once again within a forward looking and sustainable design will be incredibly exciting.”
The November/December 2025 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
Powered Access
CM, in partnership with IPAF, has launched a new survey to explore the industry’s views and experiences with powered access machines on construction projects.
This is not a first step towards a paywall. We need readers to register with us to help sustain creation of quality editorial content on Construction Management. Registering also means you can manage your own CPDs, comments, newsletter sign-ups and privacy settings. Thank you.
