On June 14th, at a ceremony in the Tower of London, we received a prestigious Green Apple - Silver Award in the Built Environment and Architectural Heritage category for the Step Shaft Gallery Temporary Mine Infilling Project in Dudley completed in 2009. The scheme was undertaken to preserve a degrading limestone mine gallery for inclusion in a future canal based underground heritage tourist attraction for which Dudley Council are seeking to obtain funding.

Accreditations have recently been renewed for EXOR (Gold Accreditation), CHAS, SAFEContractor & Constructionline. In addition  we are in the process of accreditation to CIAPs (Construction Industry Accredited Performance Scheme) a new bespoke prequalification system that is being adopted by some local authorities such as Sandwell MBC.

Work has started on one of the last UID scheme to be completed as part of Severn Trent’s AMP4 Capital expenditure programme. Bridgnorth Rd UID adjacent to the Smestow Brook in Wolverhampton is a £1.1m scheme involving construction of a 12.5m dia x 17m deep flood storage shaft and refurbishment of the existing CSO chamber. The scheme will provide water quality and aesthetic improvements to the adjacent Smestow Brook.

During April we received notification that we have been awarded the British Safety Council International Safety Award for 2009. This is the 9th successive year that we have received this award and is a recognition of the commitment to achieving high standards of health & safety

We have been awarded an £850k contract by Aldi Stores to carry out the civil and highway works for a new store on Granby Road in Leicester. Work started in mid April with a target store opening date of the end of June

Following a successful site audit at one of our contracts for Network Rail our Principal Contractors Licence has been upgraded to a full licence from a provisional licence.

Achilles ‘Verify’ Audit. Our 2010 Achilles UVDB ‘Verify’ audit was carried out during March and excellent scores ranging from 92% to 100% were achieved for our Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety practices and procedures.

We have recently secured a £590k Mineworkings and Mineshaft Stabilisation contract for the new Tesco superstore to be built at Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Work has already started and will last 16 weeks. Wardell Armstrong are Engineer for the work.

Foxton Road UID in Ward End, Birmingham for Severn Trent Water is a £2.7m project to provide significant water quality and aesthetic improvements to local watercourses. The scheme provides detention tank storage for storm events and a screened overflow for consented spills to a nearby brook course. Due to the very poor ground conditions the storage tank is being constructed as a secant piled circular cofferdam with 72 nr x 18m long x 900mm dia secant piles (male/female) at an internal diameter of 13m. This is followed by creation of a 5m deep jet grouted ‘base’ at a depth of 13m to 18m. Following completion of the jet grouting, internal excavation of the shaft will be completed and a reinforced concrete base slab constructed which will be dowelled into the piles. The Internal segmental shaft and pre-cast roof slab will then be completed to form final pumping station.

Oxfordshire County Council have awarded us a £250k contract to remove a substantial volume of fly-tipped waste, which includes asbestos, from land adjacent to a travelers site at Redbridge Hollow, Oxford. The scheme also includes preparation of additional traveler pitches in the areas that are to be cleared.

Achilles ‘Verify’ Audit.

Our 2009 Achilles UVDB ‘Verify’ audit was carried out during March and excellent scores ranging from 95% to 98% were achieved for our Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety practices and procedures.

Step Shaft Mine Gallery Infilling, Dudley

We have recently been awarded the £750k contract to complete the temporary stabilisation and infilling of Step Shaft Mine Gallery in Dudley. Step Shaft Mine is one of the many limestone mines that were mined in the area during the industrial revolution and which have remained open ever since. The 100m long by 15m high gallery has recently deteriorated to such an extent that it is being temporarily filled with sand to prevent further collapse. Dudley hope that funding will be secured to complete full stabilisation of the gallery and allow it to be reopened to the public as part of a larger canal based tourist attraction.

Streetsbrook Road Flood Alleviation, Solihull

Following a long period on the drawing board, we have recently commenced a major foul water flood alleviation project for Severn Trent Water in the Streetsbrook Road area of Solihull. The £3.1m scheme will last for 40 weeks and includes 3 large shaft storage tanks up to 20m deep and 2.5 km of open cut sewers up to 900mm dia in carriageway.

EGE Press Project, Honda, Swindon

Despite the downturn in car sales, Honda is investing in additional production capacity for an anticipated new model to be built at its Swindon Plant. We are currently completing a £1.1m contract to construct a new 20m x 10m x 9m deep Press Pit and conveyor tunnel as part of this extension. This follows a number of other work packages that we have completed as part of the extension of the manufacturing facility over the past 6 months.

Aidrie to Bathgate Rail Line – Mining Remediation Work

The 5th January saw the commencement of a £5.5m advance works contract for Network Rail (Scotland) to complete mine workings and mineshaft stabilisation work on the disused railway line which is to be re-opened following complete re-construction. This project is being carried out in 11 treatment areas of heavily worked coal and fireclay mine workings along the route of the 40km line and involves 13,000 drill holes (215,000m of drilling) and injection of 85,000 tonnes of grout in a tight 6 month contract period. Up to 22 drilling rigs are on site.

Network Rail Principal Contractors Licence & Link –up Accreditation

Our Contractors Assurance Case has now been replaced with a Principal Contractors Licence. In addition we have extended our accreditation under Link-up product to include 103 separate product groups. (See ‘Company Profile’ for full listing).

ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 Accreditations

We have successfully completed our 3 year re-audits for the three management systems standards which are accredited through AJA Registrars. As the next step in our continuous improvement objectives we are preparing for assessment under the Investors in People standard which will recognise our commitment to training and development of our staff & employees.

Drilling Rig Guarding.

Following advice to the drilling industry from the Health & Safety Executive we have now completed installation of interlocked guards to prevent accidental entanglement with drilling equipment on all our rotary and rotary percussive drilling rigs and also to our rotary and auger mini-piling rigs.

Severn Trent Water.

Our AMP 4 Sewerage framework for Severn Trent Water continues apace with the focus on delivering UID’s and Flood Relief Schemes and we have a sizeable portfolio of projects to complete by March 2009 in the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

International Safety Award 2007.

The Company has received the British Safety Council ‘International Safety Award’ for 2007. This is the 7th successive year that we have scooped this prestigious safety award from one of the worlds leading training and advisory bodies and is continuing recognition of our pursuit of excellence in health & safety at work.

Achilles Verify Audit.

Our Achilles UVDB ‘Verify’ audit was carried out during March and excellent scores ranging from 93% to 100% were achieved for our Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety practices and procedures.

Record Turnover Achieved.

2007 has proved to be another successful year for the company with turnover exceeding £32m for the first time. The sustained level of turnover is largely due to increased levels of work in our key market sectors of ground engineering, remediation, water utilities and development infrastructure.

Mini-Piling.

Mini-Piling & Drilling are about to commence their largest contract awarded to date – a £238k scheme in Scotia Rd, Stoke-on –Trent for installation of 101no x 324mm diameter driven steel cased piles together with ground slab as part of a new industrial development for O-Gen UK Ltd.

Pemberton Stadium Development, Llanelli.

The 2 phase £2.6m mine workings treatment scheme for the Pemberton Stadium Development, Llanelli for Walters UK is nearing completion. Commenced in 2006 we are about to commence stabilization work on the smaller second phase of the scheme. Work has included over 4000 drill holes, 9000tonnes of grout and treatment of 15 mineshafts. 10 drilling rigs were resourced to site for the main work.

New Appointments.

We are pleased to announce the following appointments to key business support areas within the group;

Top Rain/511 Sites, Hawthorne Rd, Bootle.

These heavily contaminated ex-industrial sites are being reclaimed and developed for housing by Bellway Homes in partnership with Sefton Council as part of their Pathfinder Housing Market Renewal Initiative. We have already completed extensive remediation work on the sites and are currently constructing the infrastructure, piling and foundations for the development. Contract value £8.0m.

Geothermal Boreholes at Oxford Hospital.

We have recently completed installing a field of 73 geothermal boreholes each 100m deep at the new Churchill Hospital, Oxford, a PFI funded scheme in which Haden Young are the main M&E contractor. The holes were drilled by our Casagrande C6S ’dual head’ rigs which allow fully cased holes to be drilled through any ground conditions ensuring a clean hole for loop installation & grouting.

Chatterley Valley, Stoke-on Trent.

We recently commenced remediation work on the Lowlands Road site at Chatterley Valley for Advantage West Midlands. The 14 ha site is part of AWM’s extensive commercial and industrial redevelopment plans for the Chatterley Valley area. The £1.25m scheme involves extensive earthworks, soil stabilization, mineshaft treatment, brookcourse realignment, water features and environmental mitigation works.

Award of major Groundworks and Infrastructure contract for Aldi at their Regional Distribution Centre in Swindon.

A £6.3m Groundworks & Infrastructure contract for extensions to the warehouse, chiller & freezer units and provision of new offices at Aldi’s existing distribution centre involves; earthworks, foundations, reinforced concrete ground slabs, walls and suspended slabs, pre-cast concrete panel installation, foul and surface water drainage including on-site surface water retention tanks, external works for loading bays, access roads and car park areas. The 52 week contract commenced in April.

International Safety Award 2006

The company has been given the British Safety Council ‘International Safety Award’ for 2006. This is the 6th successive year that we have scooped this prestigious safety award from one of the worlds leading training and advisory bodies and is recognition of our pursuit of excellence in the management of Health & Safety.

Record Turnover Achieved

2006 has proved to be the most successful year to date for the company with turnover exceeding £30m for the first time. The growth in turnover is largely due to increased levels of work in the ground engineering and remediation sectors.

Chettles Development, Radford, Nottingham

A £1.75m contract to remediate a 3.6ha heavily contaminated industrial site and provide new infrastructure for a proposed student accommodation village has been awarded by Ocon Construction Ltd (part of The Opal Property Group). The 40 week contract commenced on 26th February.

Myreside Street Development, Glasgow – Mineworkings Treatment

We recently commenced this £1.4m mineworkings stabilisation contract for Bellway Homes (Scotland). The scheme involves drilling 6000 grout holes (160,000m of drilling) and injection of up to 35,000 tonnes of grout and will be completed in 18 weeks.

Rail Contractors Assurance Case Award

The company was awarded its Rail Contractors Assurance Case (CAC) by Network Rail on 22nd September 2006 allowing us to carry out work on Network Rail controlled infrastructure. The CAC covers a range of work types also covered by its Link-up accreditation including; Major Civil Engineering, Minor Civil Engineering, Earthworks – Embankments & Cuttings, Ground Anchors, Piling, Geotechnical Engineering Contractors, Lineside Structures – Brick & Concrete, Thrustboring & Pipejacking, Specialist Drilling Engineers and Other Civil Engineering.

Mini-Piling & Drilling Ltd Launch

As from the 1st of September 2006 the Mini-Piling services provided by the company will be operated under the name Mini-Piling & Drilling Ltd. Enquiries for our extensive range of mini-piling services which include Driven Steel Cased, Odex, Augered and CFA Piles should be made to Mark Tromans – Piling Manager

Quedgley Urban Village Requisition Sewer

We have recently been awarded the £1.3m Quedgley Urban Village Requisition Sewer, Gloucester, by Severn Trent Water. The 500m of 1200mm diameter sewer is being installed by machine driven pipejack and will service a large new residential development on the north east side of Gloucester.

In addition we have secured the £2.8m contract to treat mineworkings and mineshafts on the Pemberton Development, a major retail and commercial development in Llanelli, South Wales. The contract is being carried out for Walters UK Ltd and involves a fleet of 12 drilling rigs to drill the anticipated 6400 grout holes.

Mart Lane Bridge Opening

The 22nd August 2006 saw the opening of Mart Lane Bridge in Stourport on Severn, Worcetershire, by the Mayor of Stourport. The new heritage style ‘hump back’ bridge together with the reconstructed canal arm and mooring basin has been constructed as part of a reclamation and residential development involving Woodford Group and British Waterways

International Safety Award 2005

The company has been awarded the British Safety Council International Safety Award for 2005. This is the 5th successive year that we have secured this prestigious award and is recognition of our commitment to Health & Safety.

Mini-Piling Services

We have significantly extended our mini-piling services and capabilities following the addition of 16 compact mini-rigs offering a range of drop hammer, odex and augered piles. Our piling services are managed by Mark Tromans who has over 25 years experience in this field. (See ‘Mini-Piling Services’)

Contractors Assurance Case – Network Rail

The scope of work carried out by the company is ideally suited to the range of civil and ground engineering work carried out on Network Rail Infrastructure. We are currently developing our Contractors Assurance Case under sponsorship from Network rail which we expect to have in place by October 2006.
 

Business Development Executive appointed

Bernard Hardisty, former Head of Land and Property with Advantage West Midlands and Senior Development Executive with English Partnerships has been appointed to develop key business growth areas including derelict and contaminated land remediation and development.

Award of major Groundworks and Infrastructure contract for Aldi Head Office and Distribution Centre Expansion

In December 2005 we were awarded the £4.5m Groundworks & Infrastructure contract for extensions to the existing distribution centre and head office facilities at Atherstone, Warwickshire. The 32 week contract includes earthworks, soil improvement, CFA piling, foundations, drainage and reinforced concrete slabs & retaining walls. We have recently completed a similar project for a new Aldi distribution centre in Neston, Wirral. (See ‘Project Profiles’)

Awarded Accreditation to OHSAS 18001:1999

Our accreditation to the Occupational Health & Safety Management Standard in November 2005 is part of our ongoing business improvement plan. Our integrated Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety management systems are operated on all sites.

Awarded £7m Mineworkings Treatment Project for M9 Spur  Extension for Edinburgh City Council

In May 2005 we were awarded the advance works contract to drill & grout several extensively mined oil shale workings beneath the route of the proposed M9 Spur Extension/A90 Upgrading, linking the Forth Road Bridge. The 52 week contract commenced in June 2005 and is using specialist ‘simultaneous casing’ drilling methods to ensure full treatment of the workings. (See ‘Project Profiles’)

Severn Trent AMP4 Sewerage Framework Contract (2005 – 2010)

Following the successful completion of our AMP3 Sewerage Framework Contract (2000 – 2005), we are now one of Severn Trent Waters framework sewerage contractors for their AMP4 capital expenditure programme. (See ‘Project Profiles’)