Client – Wain Homes West Midlands
Commencement date – December 2014
Completion Date – April 2022
E3P where asked to do a Hydrogeological Risk Assessment on a site which once was a sandstone quarry that had been filled with pottery slip until the early 1990s, after which it was partially used as a lorry park with most of the land remaining undeveloped. E3P’s ground investigation revealed that the pottery slip infill had high levels of lead and zinc, but through detailed investigation and risk assessment, it was determined that it did not pose a threat to the underlying principal aquifer.
To ensure compliance with regulations, E3P developed a detailed Remediation and Enabling Works Specification and held meetings with the Local Authority and the Environment Agency technical and waste teams. A Waste Recovery Plan was also completed to ensure that any imported material was used for restoration rather than disposal.
Another consideration was settlement associated with placing fill materials above the clayey pottery slip fill. E3P conducted a geotechnical site investigation and settlement analysis, which demonstrated that existing fills had already undergone settlement, and engineered fills would not lead to long-term settlement or creep.
Wain Homes West Midlands commissioned E3P to undertake a Phase 1 and 2 Geoenvironmental Site Assessment, a detailed Hydrogeological Risk Assessment, Cut/Fill Analysis and Remediation and Enabling Works Strategy, Geotechnical Settlement Analysis, Waste Recovery Plan, and Remediation Supervision.
E3P’s multi-disciplinary approach enabled successful redevelopment of the site without removing existing materials or undergoing additional treatment. They also demonstrated that imposing additional loading onto existing fills would not result in long-term settlement, further reducing the need for off-site disposal or treatment.
