OUR WORK

Project

Bulk topsoil strip and cut/fill to re-profile a major residential development site at Clifton in Nottingham.

Client

O Brien Contractors

Description

Bulk earthworks to form new development parcels, drainage basins and environmental mitigation areas, involving large areas of topsoil strip, bulk cut/fill and re-soiling.

Key Issues

The project required large volumes of materials to be moved over long distances within a single earthworks season. VAS worked closely with the Main Contractor to plan the works and deployed a large plant fleet to ensure they achieved the required outputs.

Works had to be carried out to very exacting standards due to the presence of mixed soils in deep plough areas, meaning that VAS had to adopt a flexible approach and work closely with the Main Contractor’s project manager and geotechnical engineers.

Despite the challenges involved, VAS completed the works on time and to the required standard, whilst maintaining a good relationship with the Main Contractor’s site and quality control teams.

Scope of Work

Approximately 177,000m³ topsoil strip, 115,500m³ cut/fill and 117,000m³ re-soiling.

Project

Bulk earthworks to strip topsoil and re-profile a development site in readiness for construction of a number of new commercial buildings.

Client

ISC Contracting

Description

Works involved phased, concurrent stripping of topsoil and bulk cut/fill across a sloping site to form benched plateaus to nine commercial units.

Key Issues

Despite there being no site investigation available, local knowledge suggested the potential for Kentish Ragstone to be encountered in the deeper areas of excavation. VAS offered to deploy their larger Cat D9 dozer, instead of a D6, to provide a ripping option should rock be encountered. In the event, rock was encountered on numerous occasions, but VAS were able to deal with it without delaying the programme.

During the course of the excavations, an unexpected volume of unacceptable material was encountered (approx. 32,500m³), which VAS were able to excavate and re-engineer, without causing delay to follow on building works.

Scope of Work

Approximately 37,500m³ topsoil strip and 377,000m³ cut/fill (including excavation of 32,500m³ of unacceptable material)

Project

Key 2 & 3 Earthworks to Parcels 16 & 17, Prior’s Hall, Corby

Client

ECL Civil Engineering Ltd

Description

Penultimate phase of a major land reclamation project at the old British Steel works at Corby, Northamptonshire. Works involved removal of surcharge to previously filled parcels, followed by filling and surcharge to final infill areas.

Key Issues

Existing surfaces of parcels 16 & 17 required investigation and remediation before filling could commence. The VAS supervisor suggested excavation, air drying and re-engineering as an alternative to the dig and dump method specified, saving both time and the environmental impact of disposing of large volumes of wet clay.

Due to the large volume of cut/fill required in a short period, VAS utilised both Cat Challengers on short haul work and motor scrapers on longer hauls to maximise outputs and optimise efficiency to ensure the works were completed by the end of the summer earthworks season.

Scope of Work

Approximately 43,000m² of remediation, followed by 239,750m³ of cut/fill to remove surcharge from previously filled parcels and place as fill and surcharge, to new parcels.

Project

Residential site preparation for Homes England

Client

DSM Ltd

Description

Topsoil strip and re-model entire site, followed by construction on a large noise attenuation bund alongside the M40 motorway.

Key Issues

Initial order for topsoil strip and cut/fill was followed by an instruction to excavate and re-compact solifluction deposits under the noise bund footprint and then subsequently, for placing the material into the noise bund itself. This entailed working very closely with the Main Contractor’s team to place material to a linear profile, which got narrower as the bund increased in height, and working in conjunction with earthworks testing and placement of reinforcing geogrids.

Work programmes and Compensation Events costs were agreed as the works progressed, while the on-site teams worked together to deliver the project.

Scope of Works

Topsoil strip – 90,000m³

Bulk Excavation – 312,000m³

Excavate and re-compact Solifluction deposits – 85,000m³

Bulk fill – 137,000m³

Fill to noise attenuation bund – 175,000m³

Project

Residential development for Countryside Properties

Client

Breheny Civil Engineering

Description

Large scale topsoil strip and site re-modelling carried out in phases, to match client’s programme of site parcel handovers.

Key Issues

Project phasing changed at outset of scheme and several times during the course of the project, due to unforeseen circumstances, including the discovery of buried services crossing the site and planning issues. VAS Earthmoving were able to seamlessly incorporate these changes, without incurring additional costs to the client, by switching their in-house plant fleet between tasks or onto other projects, without affecting day to day production.

To ensure completed parcels met the expectations of end users, an extensive end product testing regime applied to all fill areas. Despite some materials being of marginal suitability and works being carried out during periods of inclement weather, VAS Earthmoving achieved 100% compliance with all earthworks testing.

Scope of Works

Approximately 55,000m³ topsoil strip and 190,000m³ excavation and filling.

Project

Residential development for Countryside Properties

Client

Breheny Civil Engineering

Description

Negotiated, as a bolt on project, alongside Bishop’s Stortford North, VAS Earthmoving carried out this intricate earthworks project, involving stripping topsoil, re-using existing stockpiles of material and re-profiling individual sub-parcels to complete a key element of the development.

Key Issues

The works had to be undertaken in a phased manner, working alongside the Main Contractors roads and drainage works. Some of the existing stockpiles of material had to be double handled more than once, in order to achieve the final earthworks profile.

Despite it being a very tight programme, the works were completed on time, to the required standard and within the allocated budget.

Scope of Works

Approximately 48,000m³ of topsoil strip, cut/fill and relocation of existing stockpiles.

Project
Taylor Wimpey, Brantham

Client
Breheny Civil Engineering

Description
Topsoil strip of entire site, followed by excavation and filling to plateau the site and remediate wet ground.

Key Issues
Excavated material required stabilising in layers to achieve required CBR. Initial ground model provided by the designers did not work and required John Garner’s knowledge of GPS machine control to provide a workable solution.

Scope of Work
60,000m³ topsoil strip, bulk excavation, filling and moisture conditioning.

Project
Colchester Sports Hub

Client
Breheny Civil Engineering

Description
Topsoil strip to the entire site and earthworks re-profiling, followed by large areas of re-soiling.

Key Issues
Working on a large building project with many other disciplines. Required close liaison with the client to balance the earthworks to minimise the need to import material or dispose of surplus off site.

Scope of Work
95,000m³ topsoil strip and bulk excavation/filling to prepare sports pitches, cycle tracks, car-parks and access roads.

Project

North East Leicester Urban Sustainable Extension Development, Thurmaston

Client

MJ Evans Construction

Description

Bulk topsoil strip and cut/fill to plateau development area and form drainage lagoons.

Key Issues

The project was carried out in the Autumn and required moisture susceptible cohesive materials to be placed and compacted to the exacting standards of the Adopting Authority, Leicestershire County Council. VA Services were responsible for the earthworks testing and compliance as part of their earthworks package. Despite the works being carried out in variable weather, we completed our works on time and to the correct standard.

While excavating the largest drainage lagoon, our site team identified that a large volume of the excavated material was unacceptable due to it’s in-situ moisture content. Our Earthworks Supervisor suggested excavating a borrow pit under the footprint of a proposed sports field to source the shortfall of suitable material and to provide a void to dispose of the unacceptable material. This suggestion was adopted by the client, thereby saving the project incurring additional importation and disposal costs.

Scope of Work

Approximately 167,000m³ of topsoil strip, and bulk excavation and filling to the Specification for Highway Works.

Project
Lakenheath Warren

Client
Landwide Ltd

Description
Topsoil and mulch strip over 120 hectares to expose surface of sand for habitat creation.

Key Issues
Works required large areas of mulch to be stripped every day to meet Spring deadline, whilst at the same time being carried out in an environmentally sensitive manner. Involved working alongside archaeologists and the innovative use of extra wide re-handling buckets to place the material in wind rows for onward collection by scrapers.

Scope of Work
320,000m³ conservation strip

Project
Hopkins Homes, Stowmarket

Client
Breheny Civil Engineering

Description
Topsoil strip of entire site followed by excavation and filling to plateau the site and create drainage lagoons ready for housing development.

Key Issues
Works involved excavation and filling with moisture susceptible material during the winter. All fill material required testing for moisture content and density to confirm compliance with the specification, which required close liaison with materials testing engineers. Finished works were fully compliant, despite being carried out during one of the wettest winters on record.

Scope of Work
170,000m³ topsoil strip and bulk cut/fill

Project
Keele Colliery

Client
Professional Remediation

Description
Excavation and filling of colliery spoil heaps to extinguish fires in burning ash.

Key Issues
Risk of voids created by burning ash below ground collapsing under weight of plant. Heat and emissions from smouldering ash and spontaneous ignition, if exposed to the atmosphere.

Scope of Work
200,000m³ of hot ash remediation

Project

David Wilson Homes, Market Harborough

Client

Breheny Civil Engineering

Description

Topsoil strip and cut/fill to re-profile residential development site.

Key Issues

Working under high voltage electric cables, which could only be undertaken using Caterpillar 631 motor scrapers, as cables were too low for the client to use excavators and dump trucks. All fill material was tested in layers for moisture content, density and CBR values, which involved working closely with the project team to ensure testing was achieved in line with production rates.

Scope of Work

102,000m³ topsoil strip and bulk excavation and filling to re-profile site.

Project

New bottling plant for Schwarz Produktion(UK) Ltd

Client

Dynamic Ground Solutions

Description

Topsoil strip and cut/fill to re-model site for large commercial development.

Key Issues

Working alongside ground improvement specialists, DGS Ltd, VAS Earthmoving accelerated the site strip in order to allow initial compaction trials to be undertaken early, in order to prove the soil improvement mix design.

Bulk excavation and filling rates had to be optimised to match outputs of soil mixing equipment and end product testing. In the event, all works were completed ahead of programme and to the required standard.

Scope of Work

Site strip 22,000m³, followed by 80,000m³ cut/fill for soil improvement.