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WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is seeking partners in the UK to work on projects which explore the cost effective use of quality compost in innovative applications. Potential uses for composts include: attenuation of pollution in surface water flows and use of green composts in permeable reactive barriers. Other ideas will also be considered. Projects should identify barriers to compost use in these sectors and seek to overcome these by examining the technical, environmental and financial aspects of compost used for these purposes. To download the tender documents please click here.
Deadline: 8 August
Contact: Paul Mathers
Email: paul.mathers@wrap.org.uk
Tel: 01295 817899
July 2008
This briefing note has been written to assist the GMPPP local authorities when considering development on land potentially affected by ground gas contamination. It brings together the key points of CIRIA guide C665 Assessing risks posed by hazardous ground gases to buildings (revised), NHBC 2007 guidance and BS 8485, and offers recommendations where appropriate.
The GMPPP consists of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities, Manchester CC, Salford CC, Bury MBC, Trafford MBC, Tameside MBC, Oldham MBC, Bolton MBC, Rochdale MBC, Stockport MBC, Wigan MBC, plus Blackburn with Darwin BC and Warrington BC.
To download a copy of the briefing note please click here. For further details please contact Stuart Bayley at Manchester City Council on 0161 234 1363 or email: s.bayley@manchester.gov.uk
April 2008
Contaminated land project management skills, 30 January 2008, Newcastle
“The workshop covered project management skills primarily for contaminated land officers within local authorities. It was anticipated that the procurement process would be discussed along with stakeholder engagement and health and safety issues. The workshop was presented with knowledge and enthusiasm and provided a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the management of contaminated land projects. A greater understanding of the different tender methods was achieved including an overview of common timescales and potential financial risks that could be encountered. Group interaction proved to be very useful and the topic of managing consultants and contractors sparked much debate!”
Laura Mowbray, Contaminated Land Officer, South Tyneside Council
Critical assessment of contaminated land reports, 7 February 2008, London
“ I thought the workshop was very good and we picked up some good practical advice. The morning work provided the basis for the afternoon case studies and group work. There were a lot of case studies in the afternoon. Perhaps any case studies directly related to a module could be discussed briefly straight after the module when the technical information has just been given. Then any wider based case studies and group work later could draw everything together in the workshop. This may mean more time on the case studies and you would need to be careful to ensure adequate technical training.”
Mick Brough, Scientific Officer, London Borough of Hillingdon
Critical assessment of contaminated land reports, 21 February 2008, York
“I attended the Critical assessment of contaminated land reports on 21 February 2008, which was presented by Environ UK Ltd. The attendance was good with the large majority of delegates being from local authorities. Both speakers were very good, keeping to the time and covering all aspects of critically assessing consultant reports. The handouts were excellent and at the end we were handed a CD of the PowerPoint presentation, which we can refer to in the future and look at the diagrams in more detail at our leisure. The group exercise was very useful. We were handed a number of reports which were lacking information, of which we had to review, this was then discussed. I found the course overall to be very useful and worthwhile.”
Sarah Clement, Contaminated Land Officer, Darlington Borough Council
Ground engineering aspects of contaminated land management, 13 March 2008, Wigan
“As a regular recipient of ground investigation reports which often have a significant portion directed at CPT tests, shear strength tests etc, I was interested to learn more about how ground engineering techniques interlink with contaminated land management. Generally I tend to quickly flick past these sections in order to go straight to the chemical test results and borehole logs. Pamela Welburn and Dr Chris Evans both from Arcadis GMI, took us through the process of characterising the land both from a chemical and civil engineering perspective, and then overviewed the many techniques for ground improvement and ground treatment. With the pressure on landfill space ever increasing and working in an area where dig and dump is still the preferred option for most developers it was an ideal opportunity to develop my understanding of other techniques that may be applicable. A case study also allowed us the opportunity to overview the processes carried out on an actual development site.
After an extremely interesting, informative day (interspersed with a particularly sumptuous lunch at the JJB Stadium) I left feeling that I had a much greater appreciation of the connections between these two closely related disciplines. I now know how the different ground improvement techniques are installed, the considerations required when assessing the site specific requirements of each technique. I also now look forward to a site report being submitted which details the use of MIP (membrane interface probe) and LIF (laser induced fluorescence) technology onsite. I have to say that this was one of the most useful, informative courses I have so far attended.”
Cathy Reynolds, Contaminated Land Officer, Eden District Council
April 2008
Members are reminded that they are entitled to a free CIRIA contaminated land publication annually following renewal of their LACL membership. For a list of publications to choose from please visit: www.contaminated-land.org/lacl_member_pubs.htm
To request your free publication, please contact Philip Charles on 020 7549 3300 or email: philip.charles@ciria.org
April 2008
Local planning authorities (LPAs) are key stakeholders in the sustainable management of flood risk and drainage. This network has been set up to disseminate good practice, research outputs and policy relating to sustainable drainage and flood risk management to planners and operational staff within LPAs.
The network also provides those working within LPAs the opportunity to discuss issues and challenges, share knowledge and new approaches to facilitate the identification of common solutions through events and the online forum. As a result, participants of the network are informed of good practice and changes in policy, practices and research.
For further details on LANDFoRM please visit: www.ciria.org/landform/index.html or contact Paul Shaffer on 020 7549 3300 or email: paul.shaffer@ciria.org
April 2008
Brownfield regeneration remains key to the Government’s plan for creating sustainable communities, with as much as a third of the 66,000 ha of brownfield land identified by the National Land Use Database readily available for development in England. However, crucial to brownfield regeneration are the issues of restoring the land to a high quality as quickly and cost effectively as possible, especially if it is contaminated.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) has been working with industry partners to investigate methods for both creating and improving the quality of topsoils, which are both cost effective and sustainable. For further details, please click here.
June 2007
In order to cater for the needs of the increasing number of members CIRIA has divided the UK and Northern Ireland into 10 regions as shown below.
Each region will be represented by a LACL member who will be the point of contact for members and non-members in their region. To contact the member in your region please click here.
November 2006
With the number of local authorities becoming LACL members increasing and being spread around the country CIRIA and decided to set up a management committee to oversee the development of the workshop programme and represent the views of members. The committee will meet twice a year and will be formed of representatives from members and CIRIA. For details of who will be representing your region please click here.
If you work for a local authority in a region that does not yet have a confirmed representative and you wish to put yourself or a colleague forward please contact Philip Charles via philip.charles@ciria.org or on 020 7549 3325.
November 2006
CIRIA would like to ask members if they could pass on details of venues in their area that would be suitable for holding LACL workshops. These can be council offices, hotels or other locations (e.g. Environment Agency offices) that can cater for between 30 and 40 people. Please pass on any details to Philip Charles at philip.charles@ciria.org.
November 2006