In a major step forward, Portsmouth Water has appointed Future Water MJJV Limited to build the flagship Havant Thicket Reservoir in southern Hampshire – a contract worth £167 million. It will be the first large-scale new water storage reservoir in the UK since the 1980s and is being progressed under
Vinci Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche JV, the Costain, demanded mining support to install an air treatment unit (ATU) at Tideway’s Deptford Church Street site in Lewisham. The ATU will control and treat air exhausted from London’s 25km long “super sewer” tunnel. The Costain has installed the ATU alongside
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
Galliford Try has teamed up with Siemens to accelerate the integration of digital technologies across the lifecycle of water and wastewater projects. The new model brings together the companies’ complementary solutions and expertise in the water sector to help water companies meet the regulatory, environmental and operational pressures in modernising
The Anglian Water £100 million programme of additional storm water storage across the East of England is almost complete. The programme forms part of the water company’s Get River Positive initiative which was launched by Anglian Water and Severn Trent earlier this year. The plan includes five pledges to transform
Before choosing a water tank provider, you should consider several factors. Upon making a decision, explore your options and locate an expert who can assist you. If you are seeking a water cart service for your home or business, these factors should be considered before selecting a provider. First, how
This week, leading wet civil engineering firm Land & Water announced that it has reached the milestone of 100,000m3 being dredged from Queen Pool at Blenheim Palace in Oxford. Queen Pool, which was created in 1715, had become heavily silted putting its extensive eco-system at risk. Land & Water started
Communities suffering from repeated flooding in recent years to be better protected through a new £100 million allowance Funding will be targeted at communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years This year £700 million will also be invested into protecting homes
South Holland Internal Drainage Board (IDB) has awarded Barhale a contract to install, reinforce and renovate vital drainage works in Lincolnshire. The infrastructure and civil engineering specialist will renovate the inlet, outfall and surge chamber at Dawsmere Pumping Station, a crucial part of the network of flood defences in and
Leading Chartered Surveyor firm, Bruton Knowles, has played a fundamental role in enabling two significant flood defence schemes to progress. The firm has been retained to deliver land agent support by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Conwy County Borough Council for crucial flood alleviation schemes in both South and North
In a major step forward, Portsmouth Water has appointed Future Water MJJV Limited to build the flagship Havant Thicket Reservoir in southern Hampshire – a contract worth £167 million. It will be the first large-scale new water storage reservoir in the UK since the 1980s and is being progressed under an innovative partnership between Portsmouth Water and Southern Water. In addition, a new £41 million tunnelled pipeline, running to and from the reservoir, is set to be installed by Ward & Burke Construction Limited. Future Water is a joint venture between leading civil engineering contractors Mackley and Jones Bros, which have a combined total of over 150 years of experience in tackling complex and challenging civil engineering schemes. Having worked across a wide range of sectors including water, energy, coastal protection and flood defence, Future Water MJJV is uniquely qualified to construct the reservoir, a vital new piece of infrastructure. Ward & Burke is one of Ireland’s principal Civil & MEICA Engineering contractors and has an outstanding track record for innovation. The company has built more than 130,000 metres of tunnels, including for water pipelines, in the UK, Ireland and North America, and has been involved in a wide range of major infrastructure projects. Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at Portsmouth Water, said: “This is a major milestone for the Havant Thicket Reservoir project, and we are delighted to have these two exceptional contractors delivering the scheme. “We were highly impressed by the proposals put forward by Future Water MJJV and Ward & Burke during the tender process, with both companies being able to call upon vastly experienced teams, with strong track records in successfully delivering major infrastructure.” Mr Taylor added: “We look forward to working closely with both companies to progress and complete this environmentally led project on time and within budget. This includes honouring our commitment to leave a really positive legacy by creating opportunities for local employment and skills development through the reservoir scheme.” Future Water Director Ben Hamer commented: “Future Water is delighted to have been selected by Portsmouth Water to deliver this critical piece of water infrastructure for the South East of England. As a regional company, legacy projects, such as this, are central to the values of our staff and stakeholders.” Mr Hamer’s fellow director John Dielhof added: “It’s a project that we can’t wait to get started on because we know how much of a positive impact it will have on the region. The scheme will safeguard dozens of jobs for our skilled workforce, as well as create opportunities for apprentices and trainees to kickstart their civil engineering career with us. In addition, we are excited to see the impact this has on the local economy, through supply chain opportunities and spend in the local area.” Speaking about being awarded the pipeline contract for the reservoir scheme, Joe Dobey, Ward & Burke’s Project Director, said: “We are all very excited at Ward & Burke to be delivering this key pipeline for Portsmouth Water, its customers and the surrounding area. It’s a great opportunity to work with the company to bring forward innovative solutions that are better for both the local community and environment.” Havant Thicket Reservoir in Havant will secure critical water supplies for the South East of England, an area that’s already under serious water stress. It will also help protect environmentally sensitive chalk streams and create a new green leisure facility to benefit local communities and wildlife. Once completed in 2029, the reservoir will hold approximately 8.7 billion litres of water and be able to supply up to 21 million litres of water each day. It will be one mile from east to west, half a mile from north to south, with a new wetland on its northern shore, and is being built on a 160-hectare grassland site which has been owned by Portsmouth Water since the mid-1960s. A new two-mile long pipeline, which is designed to be largely tunnelled, will also be built to fill Havant Thicket Reservoir in the winter with surplus water pumped from nearby Bedhampton Springs. It would also be used to draw water from the reservoir to supply customers when it’s needed. The reservoir was granted formal planning permission in October 2021, with a further planning application for the new pipeline expected to be submitted in Summer 2023. Ofwat, the economic regulator for water companies in England and Wales, recently published its final decision to agree a revised budget for the Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme. This has enabled Portsmouth Water to award the two main design and construction contracts for the project, with further contracts, including for a new visitor centre at the reservoir, to be awarded in the coming years. Bob Taylor commented: “‘The final decision from Ofwat on the project’s updated budget will ensure the reservoir scheme can be funded and deliver good value for money for customers, while safeguarding water supplies and supporting nature. “The innovative regulatory and commercial approach that’s being taken has enabled us to deliver cost-effective local solutions to regional water resources challenges. We would like to thank our colleagues at Ofwat and Southern Water for their excellent collaborative work.” Portsmouth Water will finance the Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme through a combination of £150 million of equity funding, provided by investors in the company’s owner Ancala Partners, as well as money that will be borrowed. £120 million of the equity funding will be used this year, with a further £30 million to follow in early 2024. Ultimately, Havant Thicket Reservoir will be paid for by Southern Water, through its drinking water customer bills. These costs are expected to be spread over many years – to reflect the continued benefits of the reservoir. Portsmouth Water customers are not paying for the reservoir through their drinking water or wastewater bills. For more information on the Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme, please visit havant-thicket-reservoir.uk.engagementhq.com/. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Vinci Construction Grands Projects and Bachy Soletanche JV, the Costain, demanded mining support to install an air treatment unit (ATU) at Tideway’s Deptford Church Street site in Lewisham. The ATU will control and treat air exhausted from London’s 25km long “super sewer” tunnel. The Costain has installed the ATU alongside a 60m deep, 16m diameter shaft that is said to move effluent from street level to the main sewer tunnel downward. In turn, Groundforce Shorco supplied a sheet piling and structural support solution for the ATU excavation. It is located in a confined area adjacent to the main shaft and includes three separate sections. The section engineer, Freddie Gorman, pointed out: “When the sewer is operating, air will build up inside and needs to be vented,” “We can’t just let it come straight out; it needs to be filtered. When the shaft is completed, it will be capped and any air trapped inside will be fed through the ATU, where it’s treated. It then goes into a ventilation chamber before being vented out into the atmosphere.” For supporting the excavation, Groundforce supplied KD6 sheets and Larssen sheet piles with its Mechshore, Maxi and Mega Bracing frames. Three levels of the frame with the larger capacity Mega Brace frames located at the bottom to support the higher loads were installed. Arpad Nagy, Groundforce area manager, illustrated that the temporary works design was complicated since the three sections of the excavation, each a distinct size and depth, were built back-to-back. Nagy expressed: “The frames work with and against each other and are interdependent. That means we couldn’t make any changes to one frame without affecting all of the others.” In addition, the steel sheets lining the excavation act as the outer skin of the formwork necessitates to pour the reinforced concrete walls of the ATU chamber. He continued: “The original plan was to use formwork to construct the ATU walls, but by pouring the concrete against the sheet piles the project cost has been reduced.” The excavation’s complexity, merged with varying ground levels and the proximity of the main shaft, meant the temporary works design process was tough. Nagy claimed: “The whole evolution of the temporary works design took around seven months and went through eight different versions.” The first design meeting was in April 2021, and the first delivery of equipment to the Tideway site was not until December 2021. Another obstacle for the site team was the ground conditions on the site, which were extremely hard and stony. This made it challenging to install the steel sheet piles just with the excavator-mounted vibrating hammer. Therefore, a pre-augering method had to be acquired. Also, several sheet piles still remain to be installed. However, the proximity of the current shaft resulted in additional problems. Ross Hope, a senior engineer, explained: “We were tasked with designing a system to allow the removal of the sheets which were blocking the connection, as well as providing enough clearance to allow the concrete walls to be fully cast. We came up with using a trapezoidal frame in order to transfer loads to the existing capping beam, followed by a secondary temporary frame propping off the top of the capping beam in order to allow the removal of the frames below.” The task has now advanced onto a second phase which was the excavation to obtain a long culvert that channels the filtered air from the ATU to the ventilation chamber. Nagy clarified: “This excavation will be just as complicated, but we’ve learned a few things in phase one, so I’m sure we can provide a suitable solution.” The ATU is located near the historic St Paul’s Church in Deptford and is an element of the £4.3bn Thames Tideway Tunnel project. It is said to create a combined sewer, running mainly beneath the tidal section of the River Thames across London, to capture, store and convey 95% of the raw sewage and rainwater which presently overflows into the Thames. 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
Galliford Try has teamed up with Siemens to accelerate the integration of digital technologies across the lifecycle of water and wastewater projects. The new model brings together the companies’ complementary solutions and expertise in the water sector to help water companies meet the regulatory, environmental and operational pressures in modernising their infrastructure while reducing time, cost, risk and carbon. The joint digital tools and sector experience will help water companies solve a range of challenges, such as the ability to identify potential blockages in sewer networks, improve operational efficiency of treatment works and become a net zero industry by 2030. Due to the early collaboration between Siemens and Galliford Try in advance of future projects, the partnership is estimated to speed up delivery of new tech enabled infrastructure developments significantly. The partnership will focus on three use cases. Firstly, it will enable optimisation of the wastewater treatment process using mechanistic digital twin technology. The solution optimises energy by up to 20%. It operates in real-time with integration of the control system, or offline and the solution can be offered to support a specific project or offered as a service integrated with sensor and model management. The second use case reduces storm overflows and pollution incidents. The end-to-end solution, from sensor installation to an application, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to find nine in 10 blockages and automates reporting of overflows in real-time. This is coupled with the opportunity for a UK company to be the first to deploy a proven solution, already operational globally, for catchment level integrated control that reduces overflow volumes from existing infrastructure by 80% in light rain and 19% in heavy rain. The third use case focuses on reducing the risk and maintenance of sewage pumping stations. This retrofit solution for pumping stations reduces pump blockages by 80% and improves pump performance and risk. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Anglian Water £100 million programme of additional storm water storage across the East of England is almost complete. The programme forms part of the water company’s Get River Positive initiative which was launched by Anglian Water and Severn Trent earlier this year. The plan includes five pledges to transform river water quality across their regions and demonstrates a clear and actionable response to calls for a revival of rivers in England. Central to the pledges is a commitment that work carried out by the two water companies will ensure storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers. Because large proportions of the sewer network take surface water combined with wastewater, it means that rainwater ends up flowing through pipes to nearby water recycling centres where it is cleaned and returned to the environment. If this network becomes overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, that water can be released into nearby watercourses, to protect homes and businesses from flooding. As part of Get River Positive, Anglian Water has committed to greatly reducing how often this happens, protecting the region’s rivers and seas. “We know that the frequency and severity of extreme weather – including drought, intense rainfall and flooding – is becoming more commonplace as a result of climate change. This year we’re in a strange juxtaposition where this summer’s extremely dry weather is actually a contributing factor for flooding. As it’s been dry for so long, the ground is still drier than usual and intense rainfall on to harder ground does not soak in as easily, meaning standing water builds up as there’s nowhere for it to go, causing surface water flooding. It’s a bit like a bath plughole, and it takes time for the water to drain away,” said Head of Environmental Strategy for Anglian Water, Carly Leonard. “On top of this, the East of England is the lowest and flattest part of the UK so there’s less gravity to help water flow through catchments meaning rainwater more commonly stays where it falls. All of these factors mean that we need resilient infrastructure that can rise to the challenge and help us protect the environment at the same time. Being able to store excess water on our sites means that less ends up in our rivers, seas and some of the unique habitats in our region.” The installation of new storm tanks, and increasing the capacity of existing tanks, means that larger volumes of rainfall, particularly during periods of extremely wet weather, can be captured and stored, helping prevent storm spills. The water is then released from the storage tank at a controlled rate through the water recycling process to make sure it’s clean enough to be returned to nearby watercourses. Importantly, being able to store excess rainwater in this way provides additional protection to rivers, many of which in the East of England are unique chalk stream habitats, as well as the region’s coastline. Despite the East of England seeing periods of heavy rainfall over the last couple of months, the region is still classed as being in a drought, with reservoirs, underground water stores and river levels still below average for this time of year. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Before choosing a water tank provider, you should consider several factors. Upon making a decision, explore your options and locate an expert who can assist you. If you are seeking a water cart service for your home or business, these factors should be considered before selecting a provider. First, how much water do you need? Second, what type of vehicle will work best for your needs? Third, how often will you need the service? Fourth, what accessories will you need? Estimate the average daily use for your appliances to determine how much water you need. Once you have calculated this amount, multiply it by the number of days in a week. That figure is how many gallons of water you’ll need per day. Finally, divide that figure by the size of your vehicle. When purchasing water trucks, remember a few things: Verify that your vendor is licensed and insured. Ensure you understand the service agreement and the services included. Be sure to ask questions before hiring their services. Different types of carts: The different cart options include 1,000 liters, 1,200 liters, 3,500 liters, 4,500 liters, 5,000 liters, etc. The 1000 and 1200 litres have high-pressure 2-inch pumps of 20 meters in length and several other features for fair usage. The 3,500 litres comes with a pump, batter sprays, rear hoses, and accessories. The 4500-litre tank is the next step up from the 3,500-liter size. Some of the application of these carts includes dust suppression, watering the plants, or anyone who wants to have a lot of water on hand. The rear spray works excellent if you aim for dust suppression. They are compact, comfortable and user-friendly. The 5,000 litres cart includes a powerful turbo diesel engine and helps with automatic transmission. The side spray, rear spray, and dribble bar provide excellent service. Check the different options and select based on your needs. Benefits of Water cart renting services A water cart rental can save you money, which is one of its many benefits. Renting it can be a cost-effective alternative to purchasing all the necessary equipment if you require a large amount of water for your business or construction project. Another benefit is that it can save you time. If you have to transport water from one location to another, it can take a lot of time to set up and then take down all equipment. Renting can help you save time by having everything ready when needed. Renting a water tank can also help you stay organised. When you have all your equipment in one place, it is easier to keep track of everything and ensure everything is where it needs to be. This can help you avoid losing important items or forgetting to bring something essential when needed. Payment Methods: The water delivery service can be paid for in various ways. Cash, checks, and major credit cards are all accepted payment methods. Suppose you need help determining which payment method is best for you. You can ask the company that brings you water. They will be glad to help you figure out how to pay for your service in the best way. Conclusion: Cart services are becoming increasingly popular. And for a good reason. These services are convenient, efficient, and relatively affordable. A service that offers carts in good condition and meets safety standards must be selected first. There are ample options in the market; opt for the one that best suits your needs. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
This week, leading wet civil engineering firm Land & Water announced that it has reached the milestone of 100,000m3 being dredged from Queen Pool at Blenheim Palace in Oxford. Queen Pool, which was created in 1715, had become heavily silted putting its extensive eco-system at risk. Land & Water started works earlier this year, making it the Pool’s first dredge in over 100 years, to safeguard the lake for years to come and reinstate the depth of the Pool to around two metres. Due to the scientific and ecological importance of this site, Land & Water designed a methodology to protect the lake bed as much as possible. The firm is also using specifically commissioned equipment including Hoppers named Reg who likes to Dredge and Mallard, as chosen by the public. Land & Water’s Project Manager, Charlie Oakes, said: “We are thrilled to have reached the 100,000m3 milestone. The Blenheim project has been an incredible undertaking for Land & Water and we have valued the chance to work on such an iconic landscape. “We are now a third of the way through our dredging journey at Blenheim Palace, with the final dredge anticipated to finish early next year.” Blenheim Estate director Roy Cox commented: “The Queen Pool is an iconic part of the World Heritage Site, it’s a SSSI, a fishery and a national treasure seen by over a million people each year. “Over 70 per cent of the lake now has a depth of just 30cms or less. It is silting up at a rate of one to two centimetres per year but, during severe storms, deposits can reach up to 20cm. “Without this drastic intervention the Queen Pool would revert to a wetland in the next 5-10 years and the nation’s ‘Finest View’ will be lost,” he added. Land & Water has been working at the iconic property since April 2022 and looks to dredge 300,000m3 of silt during the project. This removed silt is being relocated up to Great Park, where it will be create a landform (a hill or mound) over 16ha. This land will then be returned to grassland. The Dredge by Numbers Total lorry loads to date– 10,707 Lorry load in m3 – 9.4 Tonnes – 150,968.7 Volume of silt removed (m3) to date – 100,645.8 Days dredging – 93 Average volume (m3) of silt remover per day – 1,082 Average truck loads deposited per day – 115
Communities suffering from repeated flooding in recent years to be better protected through a new £100 million allowance Funding will be targeted at communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years This year £700 million will also be invested into protecting homes from the Government’s record £5.2 billion investment from 2021 to 2027 Communities suffering repeated flooding will benefit from a new ring-fenced £100 million allowance designed to better protect their properties, the Government has announced today. The £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance will improve access to public funding for these communities, which are often smaller areas requiring more complex flood schemes, meaning that community-wide defences are not always viable. The funding will be targeted at eligible communities where 10 or more properties have flooded twice or more in the last 10 years, helping to both accelerate existing projects and deliver new ones. It is anticipated around 80 schemes will receive support over the next four years. This allowance will be part of the Government’s current programme of investment in flood and coastal defences. The Government announced in 2020 that the amount invested in flood and coastal erosion schemes would be doubled in England to £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027, providing around 2,000 flood defences. This year, £700 million is being invested from that pot and will better protect 35,000 properties, bringing the cumulative total for the first two years of the six-year programme to more than 65,000. Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “Flooding is a miserable experience, especially for people who suffer its impacts time and again, and I feel we have a moral imperative to help. “Our new Frequently Flooded Allowance will boost schemes in areas which are hit repeatedly and reduce the risk of flooding in the future. “This new allowance will provide extra support for these areas and forms part of our major £5.2 billion effort to build around 2,000 flood schemes by 2027 and level-up defences across the country.” Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said: “The impacts of climate change are becoming all too familiar both at home and around the world. “While we cannot prevent all flooding, this allowance will help better protect homes and businesses at risk from repeated incidents. “The Environment Agency has a successful track record in delivering flood and coastal defence schemes across the country, having better protected more than 314,000 homes from flooding since 2015.” Communities will be selected through the Environment Agency’s annual refresh of the £5.2 billion capital programme – which sets out the latest information on each project in the programme and the amount of grant-in-aid allocated to that project in that year. The latest investment builds on the Environment Agency’s successful delivery of the government’s previous £2.6 billion investment between 2015 and 2021, better protecting more than 314,000 homes, exceeding its original target. Thanks to a £2.6 billion investment, more than 850 new flood and coastal erosion defence projects were completed during this period. Over 580,000 acres of agricultural land, as well as thousands of businesses, communities and major infrastructure – including more than 8,000 kilometres of roads – also benefited from improvement schemes. Our flood defences recently protected around 50,000 properties from flooding during Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, and schemes delivered in the last year are already helping to provide better protection for thousands of properties across England. Today’s announcement is another step to delivering on the ambitions of the government’s flood and coastal erosion risk management policy statement and the Environment Agency’s National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy, which set out a vision and set of comprehensive actions to ensure that our country is more resilient to flooding and coastal erosion and climate change in the long term.
South Holland Internal Drainage Board (IDB) has awarded Barhale a contract to install, reinforce and renovate vital drainage works in Lincolnshire. The infrastructure and civil engineering specialist will renovate the inlet, outfall and surge chamber at Dawsmere Pumping Station, a crucial part of the network of flood defences in and around Holbeach. Dawsmere Pumping Station removes to the sea water collected by the network of local drains and is essential for the protection of the surrounding land and villages which typically lie one metre below high sea level. An unusual additional operational consideration is that, because the pumping station is located next to RAF Holbeach, the site must undergo “sweep and watch” protocols for unexploded ordnance before and during excavation work. Keven Stobbs, general manager at Barhale, described the pumping station at Dawsmere as in the front line of defence for the land behind the seawall. “South Lincolnshire, and specifically the South Holland area, is among some of the lowest-lying inhabited land in the UK,“ he said. “The system of drainage has been successfully developed and managed over centuries but we are more regularly facing extreme weather conditions so the process of maintenance and upgrade is hugely important. “When carrying out work, we don’t like to take any component out of the system for too long so have been introducing innovative approaches to accelerate delivery. At Dawsmere, we will use a dam formed from one tonne bagged aggregate which can be deployed and removed very quickly. Barhale regional director James Haddon sees the company’s selection for the South Holland IDB contract as a testament to the company’s expertise and experience across the water sector. “South Holland IDB is engaged in a long-term project to enhance the resilience of this important agricultural area and we are delighted to have been selected to work with them to deliver their programme.”
Leading Chartered Surveyor firm, Bruton Knowles, has played a fundamental role in enabling two significant flood defence schemes to progress. The firm has been retained to deliver land agent support by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Conwy County Borough Council for crucial flood alleviation schemes in both South and North Wales. NRW’s £10m Stephenson Street Flood Scheme seeks to protect 2,000 homes and businesses in the Liswerry area of Newport from increased River Usk flood risk. Planning permission was granted last November, with work on site due to progress in the coming months. Experts from Bruton Knowles’ National Utilities and Infrastructure Team, based out of the Cardiff office, have been conducting the necessary landowner negotiations on behalf of NRW. The land agency works have been ongoing for two years, and land rights are or will shortly all be in place to enable the commencement of site activity. This will come as welcome news to local Newport residents, who have been on high flood alert in recent weeks as a trail of winter storms have battered the UK. The same team of Bruton Knowles’ experts has recently also undertaken landowner negotiations and compensation support to Conwy County Borough Council on a Flood Defence scheme in Abergele. The firm acted on behalf of the council during the first phase of the flood alleviation scheme worth £1.1m. Planning permission was secured in December 2020 for the Eldon Drive Flood Alleviation scheme in Abergele, and contractor Griffiths Civil Engineering recently completed work on site to put in place drainage, a new lagoon and two bridges over an existing waterway. This area continues to be susceptible to flooding and has been identified under the Welsh Government’s £36m allocation to local authorities and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Additional phases are planned to areas downstream of the initial phase of works. Speaking about these landmark schemes, Bill Simms, Partner at Bruton Knowles and Joint National Utilities and Infrastructure Team Head, commented: “There has never been a more significant time for infrastructure projects such as these to come to fruition. “Wales is one of the first countries in the world to have written climate change flood risks into new planning policy for developments, showing it is at the forefront of future-proofing its infrastructure. “NRW and Conwy County Borough Council are playing a pivotal role in driving this forward through environmental schemes which seek to reduce flood risks. “We’re delighted to be working closely with both organisations as a core delivery partner on these much-needed schemes which will protect local communities going forward.” A survey conducted last year highlighted only a small proportion – just 15% – of Welsh people believed climate change would impact significantly on the area in which they live. Yet by 2050 and 2080, projections indicate that in Wales, it will become 6% and 13% more rainy in winter respectively, exacerbating current flood risks. At present, 60% of Welsh residents live in coastal areas, and significant national infrastructure is located along the country’s coastline. Around 12,000 properties are thought to be at high risk from coastal and river flooding, rising by 260% by the 2080s if defences are not preserved. Bill continued: “Any project which demonstrates to local people how small changes can bring significant environmental benefits and mitigate against climate change will be instrumental in changing attitudes. “Responsible surveying has an important part to play in this process, because it sits at the heart of sustainable and socially conscious development. “This is something Bruton Knowles prides itself on and that our National Utilities and Infrastructure Team is fully geared up to deliver.” Bruton Knowles offers a one-stop-shop for clients, with its four National Teams – Valuation, Commercial, Utilities & Infrastructure and Building Consultancy – providing a point of contact to deliver an entire project to the exacting standards required. National Teams have been significant for Bruton Knowles’ business portfolio over the past year, and there are plans to launch more in due course. Bruton Knowles has extensive expertise and in-depth market knowledge of local and national property markets throughout the UK. Utilising its team of motivated resourceful surveyors, the firm can provide the very best commercial property advice. www.brutonknowles.co.uk.
