Land & Water, the UK’s leading wet civil engineering firm, is in the process of completing the largest winter dredge of Gloucester Dock. The firm, which carries out work at the dock and on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal each year as part of an ongoing framework with the Canal
60% of the Saltmarsh habitats around the UK have been lost since 1945, and without some inspired interventions significant further losses will continue, fuelled by coastal squeeze (development), increased wash from boats, extreme climatic events (climate change influences) and rising sea levels. Leading wet civil engineering firm, Land & Water,
DSM, the global purpose-led science-based company active in health, nutrition and bioscience and BakerHicks, the multi-disciplinary design, engineering and project delivery company, have signed a contract to begin the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) phase of an innovative new production facility in Dalry, Scotland. The new facility will be
Stepnell is preparing to start construction work to transform the Northampton historic market square. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is working with the construction firm to carry out a multi-million-pound redevelopment of the area,. Prior to construction works starting, investigations had to take place to identify any potential risks and define
Renewable developers Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables have unveiled the first completed kittiwake nesting structures to support consented offshore wind farms. Global kittiwake population has been estimated to have fallen by around 40% since the 1970s, so the kittiwake hotels are vital to protect the species. The nests will be able
Derbyshire based civil engineering contractor Roger Bullivant (RB) has made significant CAPEX investments to meet environmental initiatives as part of the business’s strategic growth plans. RB is a UK subsidiary of group company Soletanche Bachy. As part of the groups environmental strategy to reduce its carbon footprint by 40% by
Leading wet civil and environmental engineering firm, Land & Water Group, has upgraded Berth 3 at Coldharbour Jetty, on the River Thames, to accommodate coaster vessels, used for short sea shipping, as part of a landmark development for the company. It is the first time in the Jetty’s history that
Energy and regeneration specialist, Equans, has been appointed by Cheshire West and Chester Council to transform a brownfield site in Winsford into 99 net zero carbon family homes. Equans has been granted planning consent to demolish and redevelop a former highways depot on Clough Lane, into a mixed-tenure development, where
Leading specialist plant hire firm Land & Water Plant has made the commitment, alongside the rest of the Land & Water Group, to become Carbon Net Zero by 2030. In order to do this, the firm is expanding its fleet to offer more specialist hybrid and fuel-efficient solutions that fulfil
Barhale has secured a £9 million package of schemes under Thames Water’s Raw Water Tunnel Inspection & Refurbishment programme. The civil engineering and infrastructure specialist will inspect 35km of raw water tunnels across West and North London. The Barhale teams will remove debris, silt and invasive species, such as Zebra
Land & Water, the UK’s leading wet civil engineering firm, is in the process of completing the largest winter dredge of Gloucester Dock. The firm, which carries out work at the dock and on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal each year as part of an ongoing framework with the Canal & River Trust, will be carrying out backhoe dredging to remove approximately 5,000m3 of silt in order to improve navigation for vessels in the dock. The silt will then be spread onto local agricultural land as part of Land & Water’s environmental commitment as it prioritises enhancing local havens for wildlife and increasing biodiversity. Lucy Lee, Contracts Manager at Land & Water, says: “The lack of rainfall and increasing temperatures in the UK has led to a lot of sediment building up across a range of docks and canals, including at Gloucester Dock. “Up until April, the Land & Water team will be using its specialist equipment to increase the depth of the waterway in areas that require improvement in order to restore the navigation channel through the docks and free boats trapped by silt. “We are proud to be continuing our work with the Canal & River Trust to improve the UK’s network of waterways and to maintain Gloucester Dock and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.” Land & Water has held a framework contract with the Canal & River Trust for over 20 years and has been working at Gloucester Dock to carry out a range of services including water injection dredging in the east channel of the River Severn in Gloucester and debris clearance on Worcester Bridge. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
60% of the Saltmarsh habitats around the UK have been lost since 1945, and without some inspired interventions significant further losses will continue, fuelled by coastal squeeze (development), increased wash from boats, extreme climatic events (climate change influences) and rising sea levels. Leading wet civil engineering firm, Land & Water, alongside the new sister company Earth Change, (which was set up to optimise the natural capital solutions for distressed land), has re-invented a drag box solution dating back to the early 1900s to restore the UK’s Saltmarshes, with the first full-scale trails, permitted by the MMO (Marine Maritime Organisation), completed in March 2023. Saltmarshes provide incredible environmental benefits including acting as a natural flood defence, an absorbent of harmful nitrates and phosphates and a haven for wildlife to increase biodiversity. Land & Water, and Earth Change, have partnered with Chichester Harbour Conservancy as part of the Solent Seascape Project for trials to restore the saltmarsh in Chichester Harbour. The need to restore this valuable environment follows the loss of 250ha of Saltmarsh in Chichester alone since 1945. The UK dredges approximately 20 million tonnes of silt and mud a year maintaining our ports, harbours and marinas. The majority of this material is disposed of offshore, in designated disposal sites. The new technology allows this valuable resource to be reused for an environmental gain, and crucially “at scale”. Restoring Saltmarshes within an intertidal habitat is not straightforward. The large barges and ships used in commercial dredging operations cannot directly access the shallow waters and mudflats where Saltmarsh proliferates. The use of the drag box enables the larger vessels to deposit their muddy cargoes close to the Saltmarsh at high tide, for retrieval once the tide has ebbed away. The drag box methodology was used by Victorian engineers to dredge lakes, dragging a skid between two traction engines to recover silts and sediments ashore. Land & Water has borrowed modern hydraulic winching technologies from the Canadian Forestry Industry, coupled with a new/enlarged drag box design to enable the efficient recovery of large quantities of sediment in very short timescales, and with negligible environmental impact. (See below link) James Maclean, CEO of Land & Water, says “This exciting new development shows how we can reuse materials from one industry in a positive way to increase the value of our nation’s Natural Capital. Our works are being underpinned by a team of national experts and we are delighted to have worked with a wide group of stakeholders to unlock this concept. “Helping nature to help herself is hugely gratifying and finding an opportunity to provide an alternative beneficial reuse of what is usually a waste material that would previously be disposed of at sea is a truly circular economy concept at work. “From trials conducted over eight years ago we know we can recolonise the Saltmarsh naturally with carefully crafted new landforms made from the silt, which is a totally natural product. This process provides knock-on benefits to water quality, bio-diversity net gain, reduce coastal erosion, improve sea defences, create green space habitats and carbon fixing… accessing new funds from developers, who can show corporate responsibility by funding nature’s recovery close to their new schemes.” Chichester Harbour has a very high nature conservation value and is highly protected. But it has also lost nearly 60% of its Saltmarsh since 1946 (established using wartime military aerial photography as highlighted in Natural England’s Condition Review of Chichester Harbour SSSI February 2021). Similarly worrying levels of decline in Saltmarsh have been documented around the Solent, and more widely around the sensitive estuaries of the UK. The research for the trials will be led by Angus Garbutt at The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), and Christian Dunn at Bangor University with Jo Preston at University of Portsmouth. Once finished, it will look to validate the nutrient and carbon uptake of the restored habitat and provide a basis for a new nutrient and carbon code for habitat trading. By validating the carbon and nutrient absorbing capacity of this Natural Capital asset, the credits from the re-creation will be offered to frustrated developers to offset the impacts of their new developments and stimulate nature’s recovery “in their own back yard”. Tom Godfrey, Co-Founder of Earth Change, commented: “This has proven an incredibly efficient and low carbon method of reusing a material that’s usually deposited at sea to regenerate a failing SSSI Saltmarsh. “Earth Change is very happy with how the saltmarsh restoration drag-box trial has gone to date. As a result, we have generated interest from other parties to use this method. I would like to thank our partners, Chichester Harbour Conservancy, Blue Marine Foundation, Endangered Landscape Programme and East Head Impact who have helped make this trial possible and to Land & Water who has delivered this innovative solution.” Sarah Chatfield, CHaPRoN Manager, said: “CHaPRoN is very excited about the saltmarsh restoration project at West Itchenor. It has been a success so far and we look forward to seeing the saltmarsh begin to recolonise over the summer and reviewing the outcomes of the project with our statutory partners. We need to find different ways of working if we are to reverse the declining trend in biodiversity and we hope we can continue with this approach of saltmarsh restoration in Chichester Harbour in the years to come.” Louise MacCallum, Solent Project Manager of Blue Marine Foundation, said: “It’s so inspiring to see the Solent Seascape Project being kicked off with such an innovative model to restore saltmarsh in one of the Solent’s most beautiful harbours. I am looking forward to revisiting the site in the months and years to come to watch its colonisation by saltmarsh plants.” Land & Water and Earth Change are set to undertake similar, full-scale trials at Lymington Harbour during the summer. For more information about the trials at Chichester Harbour, please click here: www.solentseacape.co.uk. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
DSM, the global purpose-led science-based company active in health, nutrition and bioscience and BakerHicks, the multi-disciplinary design, engineering and project delivery company, have signed a contract to begin the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) phase of an innovative new production facility in Dalry, Scotland. The new facility will be the first large-scale production plant for Bovaer®. Bovaer® is DSM’s innovative feed additive to reduce intestinal methane emissions from cattle by approximately 30% in dairy cows and 45% on average for beef cattle. With this innovation, farmers can significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and thereby make a positive contribution in the fight against climate change. DSM first collaborated with BakerHicks on the initial concept stage, which began in 2021. They were appointed Principal Designer in 2021, responsible for developing and coordinating the concept and basic design. BakerHicks will now take the project through the detailed engineering, procurement and construction phases, up to handover and commissioning, which is expected to take place in 2025. They have provided multi-disciplinary design and engineering services throughout, including process and mechanical; piping; electrical, control and instrumentation; architecture; civil and structural; building services; HSE; project and construction management; and procurement. The BakerHicks team, a collaboration of local expertise from their UK offices and specialist process knowledge from their Swiss operations, have worked closely with DSM throughout. This included producing a fully integrated, intelligent model to accommodate the complex process technology into the Building Information Management (BIM) model. DSM broke ground in November 2022, and construction on site has since commenced. BakerHicks are currently finalising the detailed design for the project, supporting the procurement phase and will soon appoint construction contractors and equipment vendors, with an emphasis on local specialists and suppliers to further ensure sustainable working practices. The development of the Bovaer® plant at DSM’s Dalry site has been supported by the Scottish Government through Scottish Enterprise, the national agency supporting economic development and innovation, and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, attended the site’s groundbreaking ceremony on 30th November 2022. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Stepnell is preparing to start construction work to transform the Northampton historic market square. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is working with the construction firm to carry out a multi-million-pound redevelopment of the area,. Prior to construction works starting, investigations had to take place to identify any potential risks and define clear strategies to address them. WNC and Stepnell have completed ground investigations in Northampton using Danaher Walsh and a leading geotechnical firm. This involved digging 15 trial holes and 12 boreholes in locations identified by the project team over a four-week period. The area must be carefully excavated, taking, and investigating samples that will inform how the market square is transformed. This is in addition to the ground investigations completed during the design development stage. While this work has been ongoing an archaeologist has been ensuring the redevelopment does not cause harm to potential archaeology in the ground. “This is an important project in the transformation and regeneration of the town centre, the market square is a site of historical significance, so it is vital that the essential investigations are carried out to ensure that works are delivered to the highest standard. With the necessary preparation works underway we look forward the next stage of the construction process that will be intensifying in the coming weeks,” said Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth. Following extensive research, the only viable location for the market to be temporarily relocated to while the extensive construction takes place was Commercial St Car Park, as other areas in the town, including Abington St which is due to begin works on the new public realm later this year, are due to be transformed in the coming months as part of the wider town regeneration. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Renewable developers Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables have unveiled the first completed kittiwake nesting structures to support consented offshore wind farms. Global kittiwake population has been estimated to have fallen by around 40% since the 1970s, so the kittiwake hotels are vital to protect the species. The nests will be able to accommodate around 430 pairs of kittiwakes and will help preserve the species for years to come. A research programme was undertaken and an advisory group – which included representatives from Natural England, RSPB, East Suffolk Council and the Marine Management Organisation – was convened to improve success. Based on the expert advice, the nesting structure has been designed in a way that replicates the best conditions for nesting and factors in conditions such as aspect, the amount of sunshine and shelter, and the size of the nesting shelves within. Measures have also been taken to protect the nesting kittiwakes from predators – such as predator-proof fencing at the bottom to protect against mammals like foxes and an overhanging roof to protect against aerial predators. While kittiwakes are known to be tolerant of human activity, the artificial nests are sited well away from the town and active port at the outer harbour to minimise interaction with human activity and property. The construction of the nesting structure would not have been possible without invaluable support from Associated British Ports, Port of Lowestoft, on whose land the ‘hotel’ is built and J.Murphy & Sons who carried out the construction. The environment is important to both Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables and this development will help to compensate for the potential impacts on breeding black-legged kittiwakes in North Yorkshire by ensuring they have a safe nesting area. Separate to the nesting requirement, Vattenfall is also looking to support and work closely with the Lowestoft Kittiwake Partnership and has made a £50,000 a year funding commitment for five years. This will help the Partnership to engage with and provide advice and support for local business and residents living alongside nesting kittiwakes, as well as money for cleaning up after kittiwakes, installing safe preventative measures to protect buildings, and creating alternative nesting sites where kittiwakes won’t come into conflict with people in Lowestoft. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Derbyshire based civil engineering contractor Roger Bullivant (RB) has made significant CAPEX investments to meet environmental initiatives as part of the business’s strategic growth plans. RB is a UK subsidiary of group company Soletanche Bachy. As part of the groups environmental strategy to reduce its carbon footprint by 40% by 2030, RB has implemented key initiatives to drive environmental improvements within the business. Over the last 18 months, projects such as additional cement silos, electric forklift trucks, electric fleet vehicles, photovoltaic (PV) panels and REGO certified green tariffs have been implemented. The additional cement silos installed at its Swadlincote headquarters has tripled the storage capacity and reduced supply chain risk. More importantly it has facilitated the move to low carbon concrete. The company has reduced cement content by 50% though the use of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and reduced embodied carbon by four thousand tonnes per year. The latest innovations qualify the company as being recognised as a producer of CEMIII A products. RB are continuing to develop even lower carbon concrete to maximise environmental impact and enhance performance and strength. In just under twenty-four months of operation, the PV panels installed at HQ produced 152,589kWh. To put this into context, RB’s annual renewable energy generation is sufficient to power twenty-eight homes for a year. A third phase of PV panels will be completed by January 2023. “We support the governments’ ambition to transition the UK to a net zero carbon by 2050 and tackling climate change and creating sustainable solutions remains a strategic priority. With a considered and scientific approach, our low carbon concrete moves us a step closer to net-zero. Our in-house research, design, plant, and manufacturing teams are continuously looking at cutting edge technologies that allow us to innovate and inspire the industry,” said Managing Director Cliff Wren. “The significant investments we have made over the last eighteen months highlights our commitment to raise environmental standards within the sector as we drive down on our carbon footprint,” he added. Roger Bullivant Limited are the one of the UK’s leading ground engineering foundation companies, employing over 500 staff specialising in the design and manufacture of precast foundation solutions. The company operates across seven regional offices in England, Scotland and Wales. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading wet civil and environmental engineering firm, Land & Water Group, has upgraded Berth 3 at Coldharbour Jetty, on the River Thames, to accommodate coaster vessels, used for short sea shipping, as part of a landmark development for the company. It is the first time in the Jetty’s history that this type of vessel has been berthed and loaded as part of an ongoing commitment towards supporting cargo deliveries in and out of London. The modifications to the berth were designed by Hewson Consulting and works were undertaken by Land & Water Services. The jetty will be operated by Land & Water Remediation, the environmental services division of Land & Water Group. Tom Melhuish, Director of Land & Water Remediation, comments, “This is an incredible achievement and one that we are immensely proud of here at Land & Water. The berth upgrade will unlock future supply chains into London whilst harnessing the River Thames as a sustainable transport system. “Land & Water is passionate about delivering innovative and sustainable logistical solutions that benefit the environment as well as the UK’s infrastructure. I want to thank the Port of London Authority, Hewson Consulting Engineers and M4S Maritime for helping to bring the berth into operation.” David Allsop, Deputy Harbour Master at the Port of London Authority (PLA), said: “It’s exciting to see the Thames’ potential being utilised to introduce a new export service. This project is another boost for the Thames Vision 2050, which we launched last year, with the aim of maximising the long-term economic, environmental and social potential of the river from Teddington in south west London to the North Sea.” Coldharbour Jetty is a marine logistics centre for shipping and barging operations, acting as an intermodal transport hub for materials and cargo’s to be imported and exported. It also handles waste spoils from construction works in central London destined for reuse at Land & Water’s Habitat Creation Scheme at Rainham Marshes. The scheme, which Land & Water will be operating until 2040, will see up to eight million tonnes of wet and dry spoil material being used to create an oasis for birds and wildlife whilst encouraging greater areas of greenery along the Thames corridor. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Energy and regeneration specialist, Equans, has been appointed by Cheshire West and Chester Council to transform a brownfield site in Winsford into 99 net zero carbon family homes. Equans has been granted planning consent to demolish and redevelop a former highways depot on Clough Lane, into a mixed-tenure development, where homes will be delivered with high environmental credentials and designed to meet net zero carbon status. Recognising both the climate emergency and cost of living crisis, the development will also provide in-use zero-carbon housing to future homes standard. This means that the new homes will not be connected to the gas network and will instead be equipped with energy-efficient insulation and heated by a low-carbon heating source such as an air source heat pump together with solar PV panels. A new pedestrian and cycle access onto Weaver Street will also enhance the connectivity and legibility of the development, encouraging sustainable travel. This builds on Equans’ presence in the area, with the developer already working on two low-carbon housing developments in Winsford. One of these – Wharton Green – is seeing 138 two, three and four-bedroom homes, constructed along with improvements to local highway infrastructure and a community open space. Five of these homes are set to be zero-carbon, a pilot which Equans will roll out across all 99 homes on the Phoenix scheme. Steven Gregory, Regional Director at Equans, said: “We’re delighted that planning permission has been awarded for this exciting scheme as it’s our first 100% in-use zero carbon homes project. It’s a pleasure to see our good work continue in Winsford and surrounding areas and to also support the Council in meeting their sustainability targets. “All stakeholders have worked collaboratively and enthusiastically to move this scheme on and I can’t wait for it to get underway.” The scheme will be undertaken with Equans as the lead contractor, in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council, and Torus. Demolition will start on 6th March this year, and the build is anticipated to complete in May 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Leading specialist plant hire firm Land & Water Plant has made the commitment, alongside the rest of the Land & Water Group, to become Carbon Net Zero by 2030. In order to do this, the firm is expanding its fleet to offer more specialist hybrid and fuel-efficient solutions that fulfil its client’s needs. The firm is thrilled to have recently taken delivery of the first Hitachi ZX130-7 super long reach excavator in the UK. Land & Water Plant Hire is already home to the largest range of long reach excavators and the most comprehensive fleet of amphibious plant and road transportable marine equipment in the UK. The Hitachi ZX130-7 model is ideal for dredging rivers and lakes, as well as bank maintenance. It is exceptionally durable and stable, and does not compromise on user-friendly operation. The environmental benefits of the Hitachi ZX130- 7 include: Dan Jackson, Strategic Account Manager at Land & Water Plant Hire, said: “We strive to ensure we have the very best offering for our customer’s needs. Increasing our offerings with more fuel-efficient machines like the Hitachi ZX130-7 helps us meet our own environmental targets as well as our clients. We will continue to adapt along with the market and requirements whether it be additional hybrid, fully electric or hydrogen in the near future. “As part of our company’s drive towards a net zero future, we are committed to ensuring that our clients have access to sustainable solutions. Innovation is one of our key values at Land & Water and we are extremely proud to be bringing new environmentally conscious technology to the UK.” The construction and civil engineering industry makes up almost 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions. The Land & Water Group is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and becoming Carbon Net Zero by 2030, making it one of the industry’s key pioneers. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Barhale has secured a £9 million package of schemes under Thames Water’s Raw Water Tunnel Inspection & Refurbishment programme. The civil engineering and infrastructure specialist will inspect 35km of raw water tunnels across West and North London. The Barhale teams will remove debris, silt and invasive species, such as Zebra Mussels, which form substantial concentrations across the network. It is anticipated that in the most affected tunnels as much as 140m3 of mussels will be removed. Once cleared, the tunnels will be inspected and any structural repairs will then be carried out. As a further part of the allocation, Barhale will also carry out inspections and replacement/refurbishment of the very large (up to 2.4m diameter) internal valves at sites including: Moor Lane shaft (gate and butterfly valves); Ashford Common shaft (gate and butterfly valves); Queen Mary Outlet – Hampton Leg (gate valves); Wraysbury Shaft (butterfly valve); and Queen Mother (penstock). Two gate valves at the King George VI Reservoir will also be refurbished. The work which comprises a total of 12 schemes is being delivered under the AMP7 Lot 5 Framework. Barhale will work closely with Thames Water to manage the isolation programme. Barhale Director Phil Cull sees the programme as a key element in the maintenance and upgrade of the South East’s water supply. “This is a hugely important part of London’s water infrastructure and we are delighted to get the go ahead from Thames Water,” he said. “We have built a huge amount of expertise and experience on the Thames Water network and to be selected on this project is great vote of confidence in our team’s capabilities. “While maintaining good flows through the raw water tunnels is essential, it is also of paramount importance that works are delivered efficiently and on time to ensure that there is no unnecessary pressure on the system. “We have been working closely with the Thames Water team to optimise isolations and are bringing a great deal of new thinking developed through the maintenance of the Thames Water Ring Main to the Raw Water programme. We will again be collaborating to minimise the length of isolations and to maximise what is achieved during each one.” Barhale Regional Manager John Prendergast adds, “This award builds on the successful delivery of the first three years of the Thames Water AMP7 Tunnels and Aqueducts programme in which Barhale has already completed monitoring and maintenance on almost half of the length of the Thames Water Ring Main tunnels and a further 9km of raw water tunnels.” Work is expected to complete in 2025. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
