Milburngate has taken a step towards enhancing pedestrian connectivity in Durham with the installation of a brand new suspended staircase, which will create a direct route into the development and the riverside from Durham railway station.

Installed over two days, around 80 tonnes of pre-cast concrete steps were carefully positioned into place using a specialist mobile crane, which is designed to operate in a confined space and able to manoeuvre the 14 individual pieces up to around 54m from ground level and between the trees on the bank at the rear of Milburngate.

This new staircase will provide seamless pedestrian access to Milburngate, connecting to a walkway through the development down to the riverside offering uninterrupted views across the River Wear towards the spire of St Nic’s church.

Allan Cook, Managing Director of Arlington Real Estate, the joint venture developer of Milburngate with Richardson, said: “This staircase has always been a fundamental part of the design of Milburngate, connecting the railway station to the heart of the city. We always envisioned the view from the walkway through Milburngate of St Nic’s spire and then, at the lower levels, the stunning views of the cathedral and castle and standing at the top of the steps we can see the first part of that vision coming to life.”

Paul Salkeld, Project Manager from main contractor Tolent, said: “This is another important milestone for the scheme as Milburngate continues to take shape. It was a challenge to complete the install in such a tight area, which included the treeline either side of the staircase location, but our specialist lifting team, together with the Tolent project team expertly handled the project.