Project:

The site is located on the Edgware Rd in Maida Vale. The Parson’s North project has changed an underused parcel of land with a bleak paved podium and underground car park in a great location in Westminster. The project comprises a part 4, part 5 and 6 storey block with 60 new homes, 19 of which are affordable, a landscaped area next to Parson’s House and retail space on Edgware Rd.

Brief:

Our brief initially was to scope and obtain a detailed unexploded ordnance report, review the previous desktop studies and site investigation reports and provide a current phase 1 contaminated land desktop study with conceptual model, risk assessments and recommendations.

We then scoped and undertook an intrusive investigation, developed a remediation strategy and finally completed verification of the remedial works.

Photograph by kind permission of David Miller Architects and Photon Studios

This mixed residential and commercial development comprised the conversion of a number of existing farm buildings. Staddlestone Barn and Long Barn were converted to form two dwellings and the Hayloft Barn was converted to form office accommodation. Associated landscaping and parking was provided, open “cart shed” garaging was erected and site entrances reconfigured.

Because of the past usage and proposed residential use a phase one environmental report and site walk over were undertaken. The potential for some site contamination was confirmed and an area of potentially contaminated fill material was also identified during the site walk over.

An intrusive phase two investigation was therefore commissioned comprising general sampling across the site and targeted sampling of the “fill” material. Contamination of the fill material was confirmed and a simple remediation strategy in the form of a barrier between the material and site users was developed and implemented.

One of the general samples from a proposed garden area showed elevated levels of lead.

In order to avoid unnecessary soil removal further testing was undertaken in this area for lead.

None of the additional samples had elevated lead and it was concluded that the one isolated exceedance  of soil guideline criteria did not constitute a significant risk to human health and therefore no remediation was required.

Our brief was to undertake a site walk over and provide a phase one environmental report for this approximately 0.85 hectare city centre site

The project comprised erection of four storey office buildings, including some retail space & a cafe on the ground floor and conversion of Herbert Gray College and Marjorie Hume House to form a 35 bedroom hotel with ancillary restaurant, conference and leisure facilities. Ancillary works included landscaping and highway modifications.

At the time of the survey the site was not in use and was occupied by empty buildings of various ages and their associated grounds, most recently they had been used as a college

Our brief was to provide a phase 1 environmental report and a flood risk assessment.

The site comprises the former British Legion building with its small service yards along Arklow Road. The site is in close proximity to a railway viaduct with immediate context made up of public open space, industrial and residential usage.

The development comprisec 26 apartments distributed over a  block ranging from four to five storeys and including 348m² ground floor commercial floorspace. Associated with these are amenity roof terraces and balconies, together with car parking and cycle storage.

The Flood Risk Assessment found that the site lies within the flood plain of the River Thames but benefits from flood defences. There is a residual risk of flooding at the site due to the possibility of either over topping or a breach of the River Thames defences. In the FRA it was demonstrated that there was no significant risk posed to public health and safety by the proposed development.