We were principal contractor at the Ford Dagenham site tasked with demolishing a 20 hectare, 1930’s car plant whilst raising the ground level by 2m. Sensitive sustainability aspects included the movement and treatment of large amounts of materials, whilst in close proximity to sensitive receptors. 80 years of industrial use on the site had left a legacy of heavy hydrocarbon, heavy metal and VOC contamination.

A multidisciplinary team of staff, specialist subcontractors and designers worked to mitigate the risks associated with the project. Key to delivery of this project was to mitigate the impact of earthwork excavation, treatment, and disposal and avoid as many vehicle movements as possible.

A state of the art Aggstorm 60 soil washing plant was purchased for the site meaning contaminated soil did not have to leave site. The soil washing plant processed 750t of soil per day, separating metals for recycling and cleaning the rest into reusable aggregate of various sizes. The site also invested in an onsite soil laboratory to enable same day testing of contaminated soil and to issue test certificates confirming the reusability of the remediated material.

This collaborative approach led to the project being awarded the Environmental Innovation award at the British Demolition Awards in 2019.