AQUASPIRA DELIVERS SUSTAINABLE DRAINAGE SOLUTION FOR FLAGSHIP HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN SUFFOLK

Aquaspira has successfully designed and delivered a sustainable solution to attenuate 910 cubic metres of storm water at a new 241-home development in Beccles, Suffolk.

Aquaspira was handpicked by Hopkins Homes, the largest housing developer in East Anglia, to design and install a multi-leg tank, small and large diameter pipes under the roads with associated access units.

The 500 metres of composite steel reinforced pipes will attenuate storm water and mitigate flood risk.

Mark Wilkinson, Head of Technical from Hopkins Homes, said: “Aquaspira has worked with us on four or five developments and we asked our consulting engineers to specify Aquaspira at Barsham Vale because it would provide a lower carbon solution, minimise land take and reduce programme time.

“An accredited and adoptable solution is vital and Aquaspira provides this, the added benefit is that the three metre sections of pipe help with the ease of installation.”

The Barsham Vale development is in the picturesque market town of Beccles on the sought-after Suffolk and Norfolk border, just 10 miles from the Suffolk Heritage Coast. The development comprises of two, three and four-bedroomed homes, bungalows and apartments.

The team was keen to minimise the impact of the construction on the existing local community. Due to the lightweight nature of the product, transport movements were halved compared to a traditional concrete solution. This, along with the reduced excavation, decreases vehicle emissions, helping to enhance construction site sustainability.

Jonny Johnson from Aquaspira said: “This is an adoptable private housing project within Anglian Water. We were able to deliver the ideal solution, including a space saving multi-leg water attenuation tank, access points and a range of diameter pipes for under the road network.

“We used composite steel reinforced pipes, including large diameter pipes, which along with the multi-leg tank can hold a vast amount of storm water under the new estate roads. This minimised the land take required for the SUDs and the safety issues associated with surface level storage.

“As our products are far lighter weight than traditional concrete this more than halved the number of transport movements and depth required for installation.

“We reviewed the soil conditions, depth and flotation to ensure the ground conditions were suitable. As part of the service we provide we produced loading calculations to BS 9295:2020 which confirmed that the products were suitable and adoptable for this application.”

Dan West, director from Ingent Consulting Engineers, said: “Hopkins Homes requested Aquaspira was specified and I’ve been very impressed with the product and installation time. Lightweight and strong, the pipes can be handled more swiftly and safely, with much smaller machines and need about a quarter less excavation as well.

“As a result, the Aquaspira solution has helped us to optimise the design, safety and installation efficiency of the development, as well as achieving minimal disruption for the local community. The installation ran smoothly and the environmental benefits offered by the products helped to ensure this was the perfect solution for this exclusive development.”

The products used included: