Making Tight Spaces Work – An ALIMATS® Crane Access Challenge in London

Some projects look straightforward on paper. This one definitely wasn’t.

For a residential build in London – soon to feature on one of the country’s favourite homebuilding TV programmes – we were asked to solve a tricky access problem of how to get a crane safely across a public pavement and into an extremely tight working area, without damaging the surface or the lawn beneath.

The available space was tight. Really tight. And the crane still needed a stable, safe platform to operate from.

Building a Safe Working Platform

To create a stable access and working area, we installed 12.50m x 6.00m of EuroTrak® heavy duty access mats, laid in two layers. The mats were installed several days before the crane arrived, allowing everything to be checked, signed off, and ready to go. We wanted everything in place well before lift day, without any last-minute scrambling.

This created a solid, level platform for the crane to track safely into position, protecting both the pavement and the lawn below.

Bespoke ALIMATS® Outrigger Solutions

The crane outriggers needed a 4.00m² load spread area, but the restricted site layout meant standard mat sizes simply wouldn’t fit. So we designed two bespoke interlocking ALIMATS® configurations to suit the available footprint – 3.480m x 1.160m and 2.320m x 1.740m.

These custom layouts allowed the crane to operate safely while staying fully within the designated working area.

Designed in Collaboration

To keep the project moving and avoid any delays to the delivery and installation of modular timber components arriving from mainland Europe, the solution was developed in close collaboration with the client’s temporary works designer.

This ensured the final configuration worked not just in theory, but in practice – fitting the site, supporting the loads, and aligning with the wider build programme.

The Result

A tight site, a complex access challenge, and a clean, safe solution delivered on time and ready for lift day. And with some great photos from site, this one is shaping up to be a standout project.