OK, I got the struts re-installed this morning before the rain started. This was a fairly easy operation.
I found that you can lower the beam just far enough to manouvre the struts in and out without removing the brake calipers (the danger being that you could overstress the flexible brake lines).
Passenger side....
And the top nuts tightened down....
In my opinion the most difficult part of this is re-fitting the rear seat belt mount brackets and the trim panels. I don't think there's any way you could manage to remove the strut top nuts without removing the brackets (as I think I have read on other forums).
This is how tight they are....
In the first photo you can see the three 8mm bolts (13mm socket) which hold the bracket in position. The fact that there is no slot in the rear end of the rear quarter trim panel for the seat belt makes this a very awkward job. As well as fighting with the bracket, you have to contend with the retraction of the belt.
I made the mistake of not pulling out the seat belt before I removed the bracket so when I came to refit it was very tight.
On the drivers side I had to remove the belt from its floor mounting to get some slack
A quick test drive and all quiet now
It used to squawk and click when I pulled on and off my driveway.
All done and back together now, another job off the list