First year of trading – April 2014 News
We have completed our first year of trading and it has been a very rewarding experience for us all.
Our clients have brought us a wide range of problems to solve, with existing land uses including; cemeteries, bridges, chemical works, gas works and canals, each with their own particular challenges and academic interest.
As a result of our busy workload we have recruited Catherine Kenny a new Associate Director. Catherine is a very experienced Engineering Geologist and has spent the past ten years working for Atkins, in the Warrington office. Prior to this Catherine worked for a number of well- respected site investigation contractors. Catherine brings a great deal of experience to the organisation, in geotechnical design work, with an emphasis of civil engineering work, associated with railways, river/coastal and infrastructure projects.
Currently we advise several national house builders with site acquisitions and development plans and are currently assisting a Home Counties council with their assessment of potential sites, as part of an intensive acquisition strategy for construction of affordable homes. Recently we also secured a contract to assist a specialist lender with the environmental assessment of their client’s development projects.
Our health and safety record during this time is unblemished despite working on sites with many statutory services, often in busy areas. Several projects have been conducted in car-parks, on retail parks and demanded experienced personnel to examine service records and make important decisions on site.
Road Bridge, Cheadle Hulme
We were approached to investigate ground conditions along the abutment of a very busy bridge on the outskirts of Stockport. Due to the heavy traffic flows a lane closure needed to be implemented with a traffic management system established. Our window sampling drilling was deployed, together with hand probing equipment, to allow for drilling on the road and an adjacent water logged field.
Potential Cemetery, Bedfordshire
Following the completion of a Phase 1 Desk Study we have conducted a Phase 2 Site Investigation as part of a hydrogeological assessment of a potential cemetery site. Hydrogeological parameters have been derived from field tests to allow for fate and transport modelling of potential decay products.
Foodstore Extension, London
Working for the store construction contractor, we deployed a drilling rig to London to investigate ground conditions in a proposed store extension area. A day after the site activities, we provided a foundation solution to the client, based upon Eurocode 7 methodologies. Contamination testing proved an absence of any contaminants of concern for the development and also allowed for characterisation of excess material for offsite disposal.
Material Management Plan and Qualified Person Role
Kier Construction and a consultancy practice have recently appointed us to develop Material Management Plans and also act as a Qualified Person for projects in Ipswich and Donington. The Donington project involves the importation of 150,000m3 of material in accordance with the CL:AIRE Waste Code of Practice. A further project we approved involved the use of waste materials covered by a novel encapsulation technique on a former gas works site.
Business Park, Holmes Chapel
Our largest contract to date demanded an intensive programme of site investigation work starting in the first week of January with the fieldwork completed two weeks later. The site, a busy business park, is to be developed for housing and required an assessment of ground conditions for two to three storey buildings. Ground conditions have been determined to be varied although on the majority of the site shallow strip foundations are possible. Garden areas will require either the stripping of thin Made Ground or soil inversion.
Garden Remediation Project, Stockport
A site investigation was triggered as part of the extension of a number of properties on a housing estate. The site investigation identified potential contaminants of concern above site-specific human health risk assessment criteria as a result of a former land use. Remedial options were presented to the client with a cover system emplaced to break pollutant linkages. Due to the small size of the remediation project we provided all plant and implemented the construction works, with a Validation Plan produced upon completion of the works.
Mining Investigation, Durham
Following a Coal Mining Risk Assessment which identified the potential presence of shallow pillar and stall workings we drilled boreholes to establish potential voiding above any relict mineworkings. The investigation proved a 20m cover of sandstone above broken ground at 23m, where a 0.73m thick previously worked seam was postulated. Due to the depth of the workings and lack of any voiding we concluded that remedial works were not necessary.
