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Mill Hill, London
The Challenge:
The site was formally occupied by the National Institute of Medical Research and previously by laboratories and research buildings dating back to the 1920s. A number of chemical stores, plant rooms and waste pits have been identified from plans as well as fuel storage areas resulting in extensive contamination with hydrocarbons, VOC, SVOC, heavy metals, and other chemicals. Asbestos containing materials was also found to be present across the site within made ground. The redevelopment of the site will provide 460 new residential units within 19 tower blocks.
The Approach
The key elements of these works included;
- Robust Geotechnical and Geo-Environmental Ground Investigation.
- Unexploded Ordinance Probing of pile locations.
- Break-out of all residual foundation structures
- Bioremediation, both in-situ and ex-situ of 13,000m3 of grossly contaminated soils.
- Asbestos picking
- Stabilisation engineered backfill.
- Off-site disposal of surplus soils.
- Continual liaison with regulators and residents to ensure a successful outcome to the project.
- Dewatering. groundwater treatment and construction of surface water swales/attenuation to serve new development.
- Environmental monitoring.
- Finishing site level for construction phase.
The Outcome
Cognition agreed a remediation strategy with the regulators which provided significant savings to the client. Cognition’s methodology was to ensure minimal materials needed to be disposed off-site by bioremediating the soils which minimised residual environmental and human health risks.
The works required careful re-profiling of the site adhering to a strict materials tracking system to ensure successful delivery of the Materials Management Plan.
Cognition successfully remediated this site including all enabling works to facilitate the construction phase of the development.
