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
Barhale has extended its role in the maintenance of the Thames Water Ring Main (TWRM) after securing works to replace almost 100,000 white caps in the tunnels between Kempton and Kew. The £1.47M project will see the civil engineering and infrastructure specialist isolate, drain, clean and inspect two sections of
Brett Martin has provided its new StormCrate55 modular crates for an underground attenuation tank designed to control stormwater and address surface water run-off as part of the redevelopment of a business park in Cheshire. Located in Wincham near Northwich, the Blue Group site at the New Cheshire Business Park features
Barhale has landed a duo of new contracts from South Holland Internal Drainage Board (IDB) to install, reinforce and renovate key drainage works in Lincolnshire. The infrastructure and civil engineering specialist will undertake works at two locations across the southern part of the county: First, at Fleet Haven Pumping Station,
New technology will be used to design Enfield Council’s £6bn Meridian Water development to ensure it delivers the maximum benefits to as many people as possible. Jacobs is partnering with Enfield Council to provide program and master plan leadership, technical design and planning advisory services for the development of a
London’s canals have seen in the last forty years a great resurgence, but, at the same time, they have also been used for leisure and alternative living more than their originally intended purpose. The ongoing housing crisis has made many property owners view setting up a home in a floating
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.
Barhale has extended its role in the maintenance of the Thames Water Ring Main (TWRM) after securing works to replace almost 100,000 white caps in the tunnels between Kempton and Kew. The £1.47M project will see the civil engineering and infrastructure specialist isolate, drain, clean and inspect two sections of the TWRM from the Kempton shaft to the Mogden shaft (6.875km) and from the Mogden shaft to the Kew shaft (4.820km). Barhale will then replace the existing push-fit caps covering the lifting eye sockets on each tunnel plate with new, screw-fit types. The Thames Water Ring Main was built between 1988 and 1994. It is 2.5m diameter and 80km long and is a critical part of London’s water infrastructure carrying around one-sixth of the capital’s daily water demand. Access to this section of the Ring Main is only possible through access flanges at the Kempton, Mogden and Kew shafts so some enabling works may be required. Barhale regional manager, John Prendergast described the works as an important element in the ongoing maintenance of the Ring Main “We have worked alongside Thames Water on the Ring Main for many years and we are pleased to be extending our long-standing relationship with this latest programme.” he said. “The close relationship between the two teams and our collaborative approach continues to yield positive outcomes for customers – not only in programme delivery but also in terms of the longer-term benefits where we are improving the network’s resilience and safeguarding the future supply of drinking water to London.”
Brett Martin has provided its new StormCrate55 modular crates for an underground attenuation tank designed to control stormwater and address surface water run-off as part of the redevelopment of a business park in Cheshire. Located in Wincham near Northwich, the Blue Group site at the New Cheshire Business Park features offices, a workshop and space for up to 20 waste handling machines. In order to manage surface water on the site during periods of heavy rainfall, Engineering Services, working on behalf of Blue Group, collaborated with Brett Martin on a design which incorporated the StormCrate55 system – an engineered Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), to create a 325m ³ storage tank below a parking area. Due to space limitations and drainage layouts on site, Engineering Services found the dimensions of the StormCrate55 perfect for this project. With each crate capable of storing up to 237.5 litres of water, Brett Martin’s technical experts were able to offer technical guidance for the design of an attenuation tank and underground storm drainage pipe layout to suit both the site landscaping and tank storage requirements and allow stormwater to be managed on an area where staff cars and light goods vehicles are to be parked. With Brett Martin offering a complete package, the attenuation tank was installed in a short timescale by contractor Catalogue Engineering. As each crate weighs only 15.5kg they were easy to lift by hand and simple to connect together using connectors and shear pins in a brick bond pattern and at three layers deep in parts. Commenting on the specification, Terence McGeary of Engineering Services said:” The site in Wincham had some specific constraints in terms of space, topography and pipe placement. Despite these challenges, we were delighted with the technical support and the complete package provided by Brett Martin leading to the specification of the StormCrate55 system for this project.” As with the application at the Blue Group site, one option is to surround the StormCrate55 system with an impermeable geomembrane to create a sealed underground attenuation tank. The outlet from this tank is then controlled to facilitate a slow release of the stored water back into the drainage system. StormCrate55 can also be wrapped in a permeable geotextile material to create an infiltration system which allows stored water to slowly seep into the surrounding ground and back into the water table over a period of time. Available for delivery to site with a fast two-to-three day lead time, StormCrate55 is seen as one way to manage rainfall on a site, reducing the risk of surface water flooding and avoiding the problems associated with an overloaded sewer system. Ideal for a range of applications including landscaped areas, pedestrianised spaces and playgrounds, Brett Martin’s StormCrate55 will ensure this business park will have a proven stormwater and drainage solution, ensuring flood protection for the long term. To find out more about StormCrate55 or Brett Martin’s expansive range of rainwater systems visit: www.brettmartin.com
Barhale has landed a duo of new contracts from South Holland Internal Drainage Board (IDB) to install, reinforce and renovate key drainage works in Lincolnshire. The infrastructure and civil engineering specialist will undertake works at two locations across the southern part of the county: First, at Fleet Haven Pumping Station, Barhale will renovate the inlet, outfall and surge chamber. The station removes water collected by the drains to the sea and is essential for the protection of the surrounding land and villages which typically lies one metre below high sea level. Unusually, because of its location next to RAF Holbeach, the site will undergo “sweep and watch” protocols for unexploded ordnance before and during any excavation work. Second, a renovation programme at Westmere Pumping Station/Sluice will address the poor structural condition of the outfall into the River Nene, ensuring the continued operation of the station, which caters for the discharge of surface water from the village of Sutton Bridge and the surrounding agricultural area. Keven Stobbs, general manager at Barhale, explained that at Fleet Haven and Westmere the pumping stations are in the first line of defence for the low-lying land behind the seawall and both locations provide operational challenges. “We obviously have to work around the elements – not least a significant tidal range,” he said. “To ensure we deliver the works as quickly as possible, we are planning on using some innovative approaches. They will include installing a Portadam system at Fleet Haven Pumping Station and using a specially-designed scaffolding which can be submerged at high tides at Westmere Pumping Station.” Barhale regional director James Haddon sees the company’s selection for both South Holland IDB contracts as an endorsement of its expertise and reputation at a time when water management is a high priority. “Long-term changes to the climate will continue to place a greater burden on water infrastructure,” he said. “Only in the last 18 months have we seen the impact of storms Ciara and Dennis and it is vital that we make sure that we are in the right shape to deal with future challenges. “South Holland IDB is taking steps to improve the resilience of this important agricultural area and we are delighted to have been chosen as the partner to deliver their programme.”
New technology will be used to design Enfield Council’s £6bn Meridian Water development to ensure it delivers the maximum benefits to as many people as possible. Jacobs is partnering with Enfield Council to provide program and master plan leadership, technical design and planning advisory services for the development of a new masterplan for Meridian Water. The company is using geodesign technology to make the development sustainable and ensure there is good access to parks, transport links, schools, healthcare, food and jobs ensuring Meridian Water is a truly transformational scheme for the people of Enfield. They showcased their design software in the ‘Meridian Water – Sustainable and Resilient by Design’ presentation given at the Esri 2021 Geodesign Summit which was hosted online between 9-11 February. Details of the presentation can be found in the Jacobs Newsroom at https://www.jacobs.com/newsroom With cities around the world are facing unprecedented levels of change. The usual drivers – a warming climate, rapid population growth, urbanization, and advances in technology have been exacerbated by coronavirus, exposing social inequality and reinforcing the message of how connected our communities are. It means the plans for Meridian Water must have plans in place to ensure it, and its residents, can meet the challenges of the future, head on. Enfield Council’s Leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan, said: “We have always been clear that Meridian Water is more than just a housing development, it is a pathway to jobs, prosperity and a better future for thousands of Enfield residents. But the scheme needs to be resilient and enable the people who live there to rise to future challenges by being resilient and sustainable for many years to come. “Using this approach will enable us to find innovative solutions to the challenges we face in planning this scheme and ensure we have a wealth of data available before we make critical decisions. It will directly benefit the people of Enfield because we will deliver a world class development for them which will be genuinely transformational for our borough.” The Meridian Water redevelopment project is a major £6 billion, 20-year regeneration program led by Enfield Council, bringing 10,000 homes and 6,000 jobs to the borough. Alongside beautiful homes and world-class public spaces and community facilities, the 200-acre development will have its own brand-new railway station – which is already completed, linking commuters to the region. As well as working on the masterplan, Jacobs is also providing client technical advisory service across several disciplines during the design and delivery of over £150 million of strategic infrastructure works to help unlock the Meridian Water site. For more information contact Andrew Golder, Press and New Media Manager, Enfield Council. Tel: 020 8379 5147. Email: Andrew.golder@enfield.gov.uk
London’s canals have seen in the last forty years a great resurgence, but, at the same time, they have also been used for leisure and alternative living more than their originally intended purpose. The ongoing housing crisis has made many property owners view setting up a home in a floating boat a viable option. Ex-industrial areas are continuously being developed and barges are being overlooked as a viable way to transport away construction waste and bring in materials. Two examples of this situation are two large canal-side development projects that could easily incorporate the waterways into their efforts – Enfield Meridian Water Development and Old Oak Park Royal Development Corporation. As HGVs are causing a vastly disproportionate amount of cyclist road deaths, getting freight off the roads would be safer, would reduce traffic and their environmental impact, with water transport only using around a quarter of the energy of an equivalent road journey. A brief glimmer of hope was seen when Stratford was identified as the site for the 2012 Olympics. The area around the proposed park is riddled with canals and backwaters, perfect for heavy freight. Despite promising noises and the building of a new lock at Three Mills, which opened up a route to processing plants along the Thames Estuary, this option was not engaged with in any meaningful way. The long hoped-for revival of waterways freight never happened and with the privatisation of the canals, it seems even further away. Moreover, the Canal and River Trust (CRT), the charity that now managed England and Wales’s canals, does little to encourage waterborne freight. A concerted EU effort has seen a great resurgence in freight borne on inland waterways in mainland Europe, but unfortunately nothing comparable is happening on this side of the Channel. However, this is not due to a lack of options, as the UK has the infrastructure in place already. It is just a matter of using it.
