15th May 2019
With Turfdry having delivered on its sterling reputation for pitch construction with its recent project in Littlehampton, the firm has once again been engaged to construct new sports pitches on behalf of Barratt David Wilson Homes as part of a Section 106 Agreement - this time for Salesian School, Chertsey.
The site of the new pitches is currently farmland, with some significant slopes that will require a careful ‘cut & fill’ design to ensure the final pitch plateaus comply with Sport England guidance for gradients.
A further challenge involved with this particular project is that a series of high-pressure gas pipelines run through the site, supplying - amongst other things - the jet fuel for Heathrow Airport. There are almost 14,000km of buried oil and gas pipelines across the UK, many of which are not as deep as one might imagine: although their nominal depth is 0.9m, their depth is not fixed, and they can be considerably shallower in places. With a pressure of over 1500psi (which is more than 50 times that of an average car tyre!), these pipelines will not only explode when damaged, but will continue to leak fuel at tremendous volumes after the initial eruption, causing further danger, environmental damage, and loss of fuel.
Considering the tremendous danger, as well as cost of disturbing a high-pressure pipeline - in the region of £15 million - this is a serious concern when carrying out major cut & fill earthworks.
Although Turfdry has extensive experience working in the vicinity of dangerous services - including high pressure gas pipelines - it is vital in these circumstances to consult with Linewatch. This organisation of high-pressure oil and gas pipeline operators provides oversight of all excavation works taking place near to their services, offering information, advice, guidance, and - where necessary - supervision to contractors. Following this consultation, it was agreed that an easement around the footprint of the pipeline will be enforced throughout the project, with Bog Mats used to provide heavy-duty protection to facilitate safe crossing of the pipeline by heavy plant when required.
In view of the movement restrictions on the site precipitated by the pipelines, Turfdry have designed ‘balanced’ cut & fill operations for each side of the pipeline boundary, meaning no material needs to be moved across the easement line. This will ensure optimally efficient delivery of the project, at less time and cost to the client.
With all archaeological investigations complete, and a firm plan now in place to deliver the works in a safe, efficient, and cost-effective manner, we can’t wait to get stuck in. Don’t forget to check back soon to see how the project develops!
