Delafield House

Securing Waste, Reducing Risk and Restoring Control

At a Glance: Delafield House Waste Infrastructure Upgrade

• Open bin areas with unrestricted public access replaced by secure, lockable enclosures
• Rat risk and non-resident use directly addressed
• Loose ground floor bins consolidated and brought under control
• Fire risk reduced by formalising storage within compliant steel housings
• Improved visual impact and removal of bins from public view
• Caretaker managed system designed for long term operational control

What was the challenge?

Delafield House had developed a number of persistent waste management issues linked to open access, visibility and ageing infrastructure.

Upper floors relied on refuse chutes discharging into 940L bins beneath chute rooms, while ground floor residents used loose 1100L and 1280L bins positioned outside exit points. These areas were open to public access, unsecured and within six metres of the building. Lids were often left open, and waste areas were messy and poorly controlled.

There was no formal method of securing the bins. Public access was unrestricted and non resident use was known to be contributing to capacity pressure. Bin numbers had been calculated on a weekly collection frequency, despite the site being serviced twice weekly, leading to uncertainty over whether the current quantity reflected genuine resident demand.

From a fire safety perspective, bins were stored within six metres of the building façade. In addition, the continued use of chutes created ongoing concerns around fire spread, odour and maintenance liability. The council required a solution that would improve control without creating new unmanaged communal spaces.

What was the solution?

Following site survey and measurement, Tower Hamlets requested the use of metroSTOR PBH enclosures in preference to open aperture stores. PBH units were perceived as more robust against rodent ingress and more effective at preventing non resident access.

• A coordinated design review considered how best to integrate secure housings into three key exit locations: East, Middle and West. The agreed approach comprised:
• Two bespoke metroSTOR PBH units at the East and West exits, with rear interfaces designed to seal against existing building openings
• A reconfigured arrangement at the Middle exit using enclosed units to replace open storage
• A hybrid design approach incorporating controlled apertures within PBH housings, allowing residents to deposit waste without gaining access to the internal bin area
• Deflector plates and internal containment measures to manage waste drop and maintain hygiene
• Concrete base installations and removal of existing bin screens

This hybrid concept enabled the required bin quantity to be stored within a compact footprint, important on a constrained urban site, while ensuring that residents could not access a shared internal space. It also allowed the caretaker to rotate chute and external bins without exposing them to public view.

Throughout the design process, the council was encouraged to review whether bin numbers could be rationalised in line with the twice weekly collection schedule, potentially reducing overall footprint and cost.

What were the results?

Control and access

• Open public access to bins removed
• All primary storage placed behind lockable steel enclosures
• Clear separation between resident deposit points and internal operational areas

Fire and compliance

• Loose bins within six metres of the building formalised within robust steel housings
• Improved compliance position through defined storage areas and reduced unmanaged risk

Rodent and misuse mitigation

• Secure, sealed rear interfaces reduce opportunities for rat ingress
• Restricted access significantly limits non resident dumping
• Bins removed from open roadside visibility

Operational management

• Caretaker able to manage rotation discreetly
• Defined collection points remain within five metres of the kerbside with drop kerbs retained
• Improved clarity over true capacity demand once non-resident access is eliminated

Why metroSTOR?

The site required a solution capable of addressing multiple pressures simultaneously: rodent risk, public access, fire safety, constrained space and operational practicality.

metroSTOR PBH units provided a durable steel solution capable of interfacing directly with existing building fabric. The ability to incorporate bespoke rear panels, controlled apertures and deflector systems allowed the design to be tailored to Delafield House without departing from established product platforms.

Where alternative open aperture solutions were considered, the PBH offered stronger control over access and vermin resistance. The design also provided a potential pathway towards more standardised units, such as PBM or PBMT configurations, should bin rationalisation prove viable.

What did the project achieve?

The Delafield House scheme represents a shift from unmanaged, publicly accessible bin storage towards a structured, secure and caretaker controlled system.

By enclosing bins within defined steel housings and removing open roadside storage, the council has strengthened its position on fire safety, environmental quality and neighbourhood management. The project also creates a clearer baseline from which true waste demand can be assessed, once non resident use is curtailed.

Next steps

With installation complete, the key next step is monitoring. As access is controlled and non-resident dumping reduced, Tower Hamlets will be able to review bin capacity against actual twice weekly collection volumes.

This will inform whether further rationalisation or standardisation is appropriate, and whether the Delafield House model can be replicated across similar estates facing rat pressure, public access and compliance concerns.