Regeneration Project, Former Ebbw Vale Steelworks
Terra Firma has acted as geotechnical & environmental consultants to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council on various development projects at The Works in Ebbw Vale.
Situating within the environmentally sensitive area of the Test Valley, being underlain by hydrogeologically vulnerable aquifer systems supporting the local River Test SSSI and working within archaeological sunken gardens, Terra Firma worked closely with the appropriate Regulatory Authorities.
Efficient communication and project management by Terra Firma facilitated a robust Phase II investigation, without compromising the environmental and archaeological sensitivity of the site or the requirements of the site investigation.
The Phase II site investigation was undertaken using multiple intrusive investigation techniques; trial pits and mini percussive windowless sampling boreholes to assess the geotechnical nature of the shallow Made Ground and Superficial Soils and deeper cable percussive boreholes to determine the geotechnical properties and bearing capacity of the underlying London Clay geology.
Gas monitoring quantified risks from local historic landfill sites, and groundwater monitoring and vapour analysis assessed the human & environmental impact of historic fuel tanks on site.
Robust risk assessments satisfied the Planning Conditions under the Contaminated Land Regime which included soil chemical analysis & the development of site specific assessment criteria using the CLEA model.
We provided an economical foundation solution using a combination of mini piles and traditional foundations, which overcame variable ground conditions.