Transportation Proposals Help Win Surrey Council’s support for Garden Village

Bonnar Allan’s proposals for a ‘garden village’ in South Godstone, Surrey have been included in Tandridge District Council’s Draft Local Plan.

Centred around the existing railway station, a new village centre and new community facilities, the sustainable new community would deliver up to 5,000 new family homes, in conjunction with multi-purpose schools, green spaces, a knowledge hub for rural enterprises, superfast broadband and an arts and cultural centre, a food quarter and leisure facilities (including sports pitches), all within a high quality, visually attractive location.  The developer believed that their scheme would provide a unique opportunity to meet the long-term housing needs and infrastructure of the area.

The developer had appointed The Stilwell Partnership to address the Transportation issues; one of the key concerns of local Planning Authority. 

Based on the results of Stilwell’s Transport Scoping Assessment, the developer included transportation improvements in their Transport Vision Statement:

• A South Godstone by-pass to the east of South Godstone village, through the site and under the railway line. Diverting through-traffic away from the rail station would create a safe centre for people to access the station and shopping areas.
• Improvements to the local walking and cycling infrastructure, including a new shared cycleway / footway along the A22, and improved controlled crossing points across the A22.
• Railway infrastructure improvements, including a new station building, extended platforms, lifts, cycle parking and a new underground car park.
• Significant enhancements to the local bus services.The facilities to be delivered, and shape of the whole development, would be agreed through the subsequent community consultation and Planning process to respond to the needs of existing residents of Tandridge.

  The Transport Scoping Assessment determined the traffic and transportation issues that would need to be addressed as the project progressed.

  We had considered the vehicle trip generation, and the distribution and assignment of those journeys through the five access points from the development on to the local road network.

  We identified that a detailed Transportation Assessment, to be prepared at a later stage for the Planning Application, should consider full turning movement surveys at up to 30 key junctions including the A22 Trunk road and its junction with the M25.

  Preliminary consultations were held with the rail services operator, Govia Thameslink, Surrey County Council, Highways England, and local bus operators.

  The assessment considered the sustainability of the site; looking at walking and cycling routes and access to rail and bus services, including to the five schools in the catchment area.

   

  We are pleased to have helped this project through its first critical phase, we look forward to progressing the detailed planning application with our professional Highway & Transportation Services.

The Stilwell Partnership, part of Patrick Parsons Group, also carried out a Flood Risk Scoping Report and a Geotechnical Site Appraisal Report for this proposed development.

Alderbrook Stream Improvements, Cranleigh

The Alderbrook Stream watercourse is in the Borough of Waverley, Surrey.  Part of the local surface water drainage network, the watercourse suffers from problems of erosion and scour caused by surges of storm water run-off.  This has led to undermining and instability of the embankments and serious erosion of the stream bed over its length.

Left untreated these problems would lead to land slips, an increased risk of flooding and significant restoration costs.

These are typical land drainage problems facing most local authorities around the country.  Constrained by limited resources the local authority often has to coordinate and agree its own land drainage maintenance responsibilities with those of the other riparian owners.

In this case, the section of Alderbrook Stream is within Waverley’s common land ownership, making Waverley Borough Council the sole riparian owner.

 

 

The Stilwell Partnership submitted a successful tender and were appointed to carry out a feasibility study over the stream’s length that would identify and recommend targeted maintenance improvements to address these problems.

Due to its predominantly gravel-rich bedrock, the watercourse also has a diverse ecosystem, and is home to numerous spawning fish species including the wild brown trout.

The civil engineering design solutions would have to complement the local ecology with minimal disturbance during the construction works.

We developed a number of low cost repair solutions for the watercourse and presented them to Waverley Borough Council.  We proposed gabion mattresses to replace the scoured areas of the stream bed and bag-work to support and retain the eroded embankments.

The measures were approved, and we were instructed to proceed with the  implementation. We subsequently produced detailed construction drawings, appointed a suitable contractor, and supervised the works.

The Stilwell Partnership were pleased to be involved in this successful project.

The scheme demonstrates how low cost civil engineering measures, sympathetic to the local ecology, can be implemented to resolve typical but urgent land drainage issues, and reduce the risk of flooding.

Cheltenham High Street East, Public Realm Improvement

“Public realm embraces the external places in our towns and cities that are accessible to all; everyday spaces that we move through and linger within, the places where we live, work and play.” Anon

Cheltenham town centre is a popular regional shopping destination entertaining significant numbers of visitors throughout the year.  These numbers are further supplemented by tourists attending the many festivals and events, culminating in the annual Gold Cup at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Cheltenham Borough Council, supported by the local Highway Authority, Gloucestershire County Council, and with additional funding by the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF), proposed a major public realm improvement.

Overall Masterplan Visualisation (© Cheltenham Borough Council)

The main High Street shopping area has been a pedestrian zone since the 1980s.  Over the intervening period, some sections of the High Street have become dilapidated; damaged by heavy vehicles servicing the shop fronts, poor quality reinstatements to utility excavations, and with blocked or ineffective surface water drainage.

The Stilwell Partnership were pleased to be appointed to provide the professional civil engineering that would revive the tired townscape and create a quality environment. Our role was to interpret the conceptual designs to current technical standards and produce engineering drawings and specification for construction. Completion was programmed to coincide with the opening of Cheltenham’s new John Lewis flagship development in Autumn 2018.

The improvement would include high quality natural stone paving, efficient surface water drainage, additional public seating, and provide biodiversity by soft landscaping,  and an area for cultural events.

Phase 1 Visualisation (© Cheltenham Borough Council)

Appointed in December 2017 against a tight timescale, the detailed design was to be presented for Client approval in mid-February 2018, immediately followed by the (s278) technical submission to the Highway Authority.  Tender Documents for construction were to be issued shortly afterwards.

The Stilwell Partnership successfully met each of these key milestones, enabling the procurement process and legal agreements to progress on schedule for this first £700,000 section.

The Stilwell Partnership continues to play a key role working with the Project Managers & Quantity Surveyors, Faithful & Gould, and the Cheltenham Borough project team.

We will update the blog as construction progresses.

All images are subject to copyright and are used with the kind permission of Cheltenham Borough Council.

 

We Are Recruiting! Associate (Civils), Senior Civil Engineer, and Civil Engineering Technician

Due to our continued successful growth, The Stilwell Partnership, part of the Parsons Group, is looking for an Associate (Civils), Senior Civil Engineer, and Civil Engineering Technicians to support our diverse range of projects.

An excellent benefits package will be offered to the successful applicant .

The posts would be office based at our offices in Ash Vale, Guildford. Our modern pleasant offices have generous parking and are ideally connected for rail commuting being close to both Ash Vale and North Camp rail stations.

Our friendly staff and relaxed work environment has resulted in the company being shortlisted in the NCE best employer awards.

So if you are a school leaver, graduate or full trained engineer and would like to join our dynamic company, please send us your CV and covering letter along with your notice period and salary expectations to contactus@stilwell-ltd.co.uk.

Progress for White Cottage Development

The Stilwell Partnership were pleased to have the opportunity to work with BCI Studio architects on the White Cottage development project for AMCO homes in Woking.  The development is now under construction.

Our Drainage Strategy identified a solution to deal with the foul and surface water from the site.  The foul water would be drained by gravity into the nearby public sewer.

The site has no history of flooding and our drainage solution would have to ensure that there was no increased risk of surface water flooding from the development.  Discharge into an adjacent drainage ditch was permitted but at a restricted “greenfield” rate.

The Drainage Strategy considered the SuDS hierarchy and selected the best option based on a geotechnical investigation of the local ground conditions.

Using MicroDrainage calculations, infiltration through the porous paving into the ground was utilised to take surface water run-off.

Our contribution ensured that the development can be satisfactorily drained and not increase the likelihood of flooding from intensive rainfall events.

Follow the link and find out more about our Drainage Consulting and Flood Risk Management services and EIGHT things you need to know about Flood Risk Assessments

Other consultants involved with the project were Darren Evans and Associates, Energy & Sustainability Consultants, REC Environmental Consultancy and SMB Town Planning.

Havant Road, Horndean: Total Engineering Support for a Major Housing Development

Havant Road, Horndean, Hants: an excellent example of the total Highways and Drainage support package that The Stilwell Partnership provide for a major housing development.

From the Planning Application, to Approval, to Construction Drawings and Specification;

The Detailed Highway Design incorporates recommendations from the Transportation Assessment into a Section 278 agreement with the Local Highway Authority.

The Drainage Strategy provides a Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) solution, resolves surface water flooding from the highway drainage, includes bio retention systems for pollution control, and diverts a pumped mains foul sewer.

The project sheet has a drop down “accordion” format enabling the reader to get an overview of the development and select more detail on each of the specific stages:

• Planning 1           Transportation Assessment and Travel Plan
• Planning 2           Drainage Strategy and Flood Risk Assessment
• Detailed Design: Planning conditions and Reserved Matters
• Detailed Drawing and Construction Specification

The Horndean project sheet is now live on our website

Drainage Strategy for Business Park prevents pollution from Fire-fighting event

Toulouse Plant Limited proposed redevelopment of a 5,600m2 brownfield site at Littlebrook Business Park, north of Dartford.  The proposal comprised a materials recycling building, installation of weighbridges, offices, and ancillary buildings.  Their architects, March Design, submitted a Consultation to Dartford Borough and Kent County Councils.

The Stilwell Partnership were appointed to carry out a Flood Risk Assessment and develop a Drainage Strategy to submit with the Consultation.  The final Drainage arrangement had to prevent potential sources of pollution entering the groundwater, not just from normal operations, but to include catastrophic events such as a serious fire on the site.

A Drainage Strategy considers all the many interrelated flooding and drainage issues associated with a development: Highway and Land drainage, Groundwater and Watercourses, Foul Water drainage, Surface Water drainage and Sustainable Drainage (SuDS).

The Environment Agency mapping service indicated the site is over a Minor Aquifer and is adjacent to a Ground Water Source Protection Zone.  Treatment measures would be included in the drainage network as appropriate to ensure that potential sources of pollution are prevented from entering the groundwater.

The Drainage Strategy considered the SuDS hierarchy and the best option was selected based on the underlying geology.  In this case, based on MicroDrainage calculations, buried attenuation tanks were proposed to take run-off from intensive rainfall events.  The tanks would gradually empty at a controlled rate into an existing private surface water sewer.

On site gradients and crossfalls were developed to accommodate the complex drainage arrangements.  Rainwater run-off from the roof areas would pass through a catchpit to trap the sediment content.  Surface water run-off from the parking/weighbridge area would pass through a bypass oil separator to remove pollutants and debris.

The Environment Agency requested that surface water run-off from the main yard passes through a full retention separator, to remove the potentially high silt content and debris with large sediment particles from the run-off, before discharging to the main foul water sewer.

Vehicle wash down effluent would be expected to contain high levels of pollutants. A specialised vehicle wash catchpit and full retention separator would be provided to treat the effluent before discharging to the main foul water sewer.

The Flood Risk Assessment revealed that the site is presently protected by existing off-site Environment Agency flood alleviation measures and is therefore categorised as within Flood Zone 3 (Defended)

The site is not expected to be subject to flooding provided those flood defences remain intact.  The report considered a breach of the flood defences and recommended additional flood protection (flood gates and doors) to the office and ancillary buildings, equivalent to the defence breach level plus climate change provision.  These additional measures would provide adequate time for any occupants to evacuate the site safely.

At a late stage in the process, Kent County Council raised the question of protecting the surface water drainage system in the event of a fire.  They required measures to be included that would prevent pollution bypassing the interceptors and washing into the sustainable drainage system.

It was proposed that in the event of a fire, shut-off valves would isolate the yard areas from the surface water drainage systems.  These areas have been “dished” to increase their standing water capacity.  Following a fire event, the client would use a temporary pump system to over-pump the fire water into the foul sewer before opening the shut off valves to their normal position.

In September 2017, Kent County Council accepted this proposal and lifted their objection to the development proceeding.

The Stilwell Partnership also produced a Transport Statement and Travel Plan for this proposed development.