| Project: | Former JCB Manufacturing Facility |
| Location: | Cecilly Mills, Staffordshire |
| Client: | Bellway Homes |
| Status: | Complete |
| Services: | Land Remediation & Earthworks |
Repurposing a former JCB manufacturing facility to bring new homes to Staffordshire with the added challenge of protecting an ecological corridor running through the site and restoring its ecological integrity.
The former home of British manufacturing giant JCB’s Special Products and Landpower manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Cheadle in Staffordshire had disappeared from the landscape back in 2017. The 5-acre, L-shaped site sat in the heart of a residential area and was considered prime development land for new homes.
Cawarden was selected as the Principal Contractor to undertake the task of cleaning up the brownfield site. The scope of work included the demolition of bridges across a waterway, as well as the huge task of removing all contaminants, existing slabs, foundations, and soils from the site. The area was then repurposed and made safe by expertly preparing the site with new soils that were compacted to precise levels – making it ready for the construction works to proceed.
The site contained some very large foundations and bases from the original buildings, some of which were buried over 4 meters deep.
Material management was crucial to the quick and safe delivery of the project and the developer wanted to keep as much of the crushed material on-site.
The phasing of the works meant that areas had to be completed so that the construction contractors could move in behind.
Conservation
The project was recognised with an International Green Apple Environment Award 2022.
Whilst at 5 acres, the site isn’t small but adding in the fact that both legs of the land are long and narrow made our task all the more complex – especially as we had an ecological corridor running through part of the site as part of a 1.25km nature reserve.
Almost the entire length of the waterway had suffered the effects of environmental degradation caused by human activities such as pollution and contamination from land use.
Nature had also taken its course with almost the entire bank of the water covered in shrubbery and invasive plants.
Our delivery solution ensured Cecilly Brook was fully protected from the impact of the works and further degradation. This included the temporary installation of a flume pipe and dam to dewater the work area.
Even the existing population of fish within the brook were temporarily moved to keep them safe.
Water and air quality were checked with background monitoring. This was important to ensure our methodology was being delivered as intended and without causing contaminated water runoff or airborne fibres.
All rubbish, contaminants, and invasive plants were removed from the brook. The banks were reshaped, and new wildflower seeds were scattered to restore it beautifully.
Through the design and development of detailed method statements, our technical expertise and the experience of the team navigated the complex challenges of the project whilst mitigating risk, delivering certainty for the client and securing Cecilly Brook’s long-term future to the benefit of habitats, wildlife and local communities.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, limited space on the site, and environmental complexities, we successfully completed a multifaceted and highly complex remediation and earthworks project. Our work played a crucial role in enabling the client to proceed with the construction works on the newly restored site.