Environmental development firm Engain has helped deliver a project to upgrade the iconic cable car station at the top of the Rock of Gibraltar while also protecting its famous Barbary apes and other wildlife.
Experts from the Frome-based firm, which specialises in projects involving the environment, ecology and climate change, were called in by the cable car’s operator MH Bland on the four-year project to redevelop the upper station to meet a growing number of visitors.
Built in 1966, the cable car rises 412m above sea level in just six minutes and carries around a million tourists a year.
As well as the stunning views of the Mediterranean, the Strait of Gibraltar, Costa del Sol and North Africa, the station is also the best spot for tourists to meet the Rock’s famous Barbary apes.
The upgrade plan needed to take into account the unique position of the upper station within a nature reserve at the summit of The Rock and on a major migratory route for birds.
Engain’s environmental team worked with the Swiss project architects Forum 4 during the consultation and design process, ensuring minimum disruption to Gibraltar’s biodiversity and giving the design the lowest environmental and visual impact possible. It is the latest in a number of schemes on Gibraltar for Engain.
Managing director Nikki Wood, pictured, said: “This project has been almost four years in the making, with a global team coming together to design an advanced infrastructure in one of the most sensitive environments in Europe.
“It’s been a privilege to work with MH Bland and the people of Gibraltar on this ‘showstopper’ attraction, providing sustainable tourism which protects this unique location while allowing people to visit and understand more about the local ecology.”
Planning application has been approved and work can now begin on the scheme.
MH Bland Gibraltar chairman Johnnie Gaggero said: “We are extremely grateful to the team at Engain for their invaluable support in obtaining planning permission for this project.
“We very much look forward to our continued collaboration in order to ensure this significant investment in Gibraltar’s future tourism product will be carried out in the most environmentally friendly way possible, in keeping with the commitment we have made to the planning authority.”
Engain’s team of ecologists, environmental scientists and geographers typically work on schemes with construction values ranging from £5m for bespoke residential development to over £100m for national infrastructure and mixed-use strategic sites.
Its clients include local authorities, architects, utility providers, planners and ecologists. Recent projects have included a sustainable residential development on a former tannery site in Holt, near Trowbridge and a new rail network for Heathrow Terminal 5.
