Kilncotes, St Albans Hill

The proposed development for this vacant site was to comprise a two bedroom residential dwelling with associates parking and soft landscape.

Whilst doing a phase 1 desktop study we found a site nearby was used as a sewage treatment plant from around 1901 until 1950. The site was then used as a landfill between 1950 and 1970.

Prior to the Landfill site, now Jarman Fields, being redeveloped to its current commercial and leisure use a number of ground investigations were performed to assess the potential for landfill gas and land contamination issues. The investigations identified some elevated levels of landfill gas from the decomposition of fill materials, including domestic refuse.

A study of old survey plans shows a steep sided natural valley originally ran across the eastern side of the site in a north east to south west direction. From about 1950 this valley was gradually filled in with domestic refuse and builder’s rubble when the site was used for landfill tipping. This work ceased around 1970 when the valley was completely filled leaving a steep embankment across the SW of the site. No records of materials tipped have been discovered.

As a result of our investigation a specialist was engaged and gas protection measures were designed and installed.