Earth Environmental & Geotechnical
Geotechnical Civil Engineering News

As we celebrate the festive season, all of us at Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. want to extend our warmest Christmas wishes and heartfelt thanks to our clients, team members, and subcontractors.

The UK government’s recent funding initiative to unlock brownfield sites supports the development of thousands of new homes. Developing Brownfield Sites must be done safely and a detailed understanding of exactly what you are building on is essential. A robust geotechnical and geoenvironmental risk assessment and development strategy of the site is one of the first steps to achieve successful housing targets on brownfield sites.

Earth Environmental and Geotechnical Ltd. are delighted to be recognised in the Top 50 UK Geotechnical Consultancy Businesses. In 2024 we are the 34th largest Geotechnical Consultancy practice in UK. This is a fantastic result achieved through the dedication and expertise of our brilliant team and excellent clients. Well Done to all involved!

Plate bearing tests also known as Plate Loading Tests are required for wind farms to establish the load bearing capacity of the ground and the anticipated settlement beneath the load. The Plate Bearing Tests are required at the early stage of the wind farm development as part of the planning and method statement. The plate bearing tests are required to sign off the lifting plans and ensure that the ground conditions for construction and installation of the wind farm are to safety standards.

Radon in Social Housing: Landlords Responsibility, Housing Associations & Social Housing providers should know their properties' Radon risk. All Landlords have a responsibility to their tenants under the Duty of Care and the Housing Act to provide a safe home. Radon is identified as a potential hazard in dwellings in the Housing Act 2004. Housing associations and Social Home providers, and/or property management company must therefore demonstrate that they have considered radon in their risk assessments and taken appropriate action if required.

If your proposed development includes a new or extended basement you may need to submit a Basement Impact Assessment also known as a BIA. This risk assessment report will  assess the impact of the development on drainage, flooding, groundwater conditions and structural stability. A basement impact assessment typically refers to an evaluation carried out to understand the potential effects or consequences of constructing a basement or excavating below ground level in a particular area. This assessment is important for several reasons:

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd offer ground gas membrane protection validation in line with CIRIA C735 good practice on gas membrane testing and verification of protection systems for buildings against hazardous ground gases. Our staff are Specialists in Gas Protection Verification’ (SGPV) accredited by the CL:AIRE Gas Protection Verification Accreditation Scheme (GPVS)

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical South West Regional Office is delighted to announce Jason Seaton has joined the team as Senior GeoEnvironmental Consultant supporting Bath, Exeter and the South West Area. Jason is an experienced GeoEnvironmental Consultant and project manager it’s great to have Jason as part of the South West team.

Why Soil Waste Classification is Important World Soil Day 2023. Soil waste classification and WAC tests are two important factors for healthy soil management. Correct soil waste classification reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical are committed to providing high quality and cost effective geotechnical, geological, and environmental services. We ensure our services are completed by qualified personnel and risk assessments, remediation and design solutions are compliant with current legislation. Plus as added assurance we provide comprehensive professional indemnity cover.

Guidance on Mine Gas Risk Assessments. How do I know if a coal mine gas risk assessment is required for planning permission? If you are planning a new development, or extending a property it is essential to have a thorough understanding of what you are building on. If your development site is in a coal mining or mining risk area you may need to complete a Coal Mine Risk Assessment. Our Decision Tree will help you identify what Risk Assessments you will need.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd  provide Geotechnical Consultancy Services for Renewable Energy Projects throughout the UK. We have recently undertaken several site investigations for new wind farms, solar farms, and battery storage centres across the UK. This work also includes several very large wind farm projects in Scotland. We have substantial experience in the renewable energy sector

Correct soil waste classification can save you money and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. In this article, we look at Why is soil waste classification important?  What is WAC Testing?  and how the correct process of soil waste management can save your development site money.

WAC Testing, also known as Waste Acceptance Criteria testing tells you which landfill site you can send your waste to. WAC Testing sets out the criteria for the acceptance of waste at each landfill class. WAC testing is a legal requirement before a landfill can accept either inert or hazardous waste. Non-hazardous waste does not need WAC testing however if the waste could be inert it is prudent to complete WAC testing as inert landfill charges are more cost effective. The WAC testing is the second step in the Soil Waste management process but can be completed in conjunction with The Soil waste Classification.

Paul and the team in our North East Regional Office have been busy again this month working on a diverse range of new projects throughout Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, North Yorkshire, and Teesside, supporting planning applications and completing site investigations, and more...

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require the assessment of health and safety risks, this should include radon in specific circumstances including: it is a building in a radon Affected Area, it has a basement area that is occupied for more than about 50 hours each year,it is a mine, cave, or other underground environment, it has a suspected radon source such as ground water (e.g. treatment works) or geological samples.

It’s always great to get recognition and feedback from our clients - well done to Simon Leat and our Team at the South West Regional Office who have been working on an extensive project in Swanage Dorset. The client was delighted with the work completed on this project.

Ten Years of Geotechnical Services Throughout the UK. This year Earth Environmental & Geotechnical are celebrating 10 Years of Growth & Geotechnical Services. We have worked on over 10,000 projects supporting planning permission,

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. has expanded its national coverage with the new South East Office in Maidstone Kent providing a full range of geotechnical and environmental consultancy services across Kent, Sussex, and the South East of England.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Introduces New Work Practices to Support the Well-being of the Team. Flexible working patterns and the opportunity of working a four-day week have been introduced to support the well-being of their teams.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd.'s Next Phase of Growth, Earth Environmental & Geotechnical has announced new appointments to its board and senior leadership team, to support its next phase of growth.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical is very pleased to introduce our new Associate Director, Erin Viney at its Bath office in the South West of England. Erin joined Earth Environmental & Geotechnical as a Senior Geo-Environmental Consultant in 2021.

New Builds in Radon Risk Area, Radon Monitoring and Detection for New Building Developments is an essential risk assessment in radon risk areas throughout the UK. But how do you know if the land that you intend to develop is at risk from radon? Earth Environmental & Geotechnical can help with radon monitoring and detection. Residential, commercial and future developments need to know if there is a risk of radon exposure, or if radon exposure is occurring.

In the last month there has been another bout of road closures throughout the UK due to landslip and landslides. The resultant road closures cause disruption, frustration and delays. Landslides can also cause serious issues for railways and a potential hazard to people and properties. At Earth Environmental & Geotechnical we have experience of an extensive range of Geotechnical services to prevent and mitigate landslip, landslides and slope stability and work with local authorities, civil engineers to develop pragmatic solutions for collapsed roads

Phase 1 Desk Study For Planning Permission If you are planning to develop a site, whether it is a large-scale commercial development, a residential development, or an extension to an existing property,  you will generally need to complete a Phase 1 Desk Study as part of your planning application. With Regional Offices throughout the UK Earth Environmental & Geotechnical work with local and national developers, house builders, local authorities, architects, engineers and private individuals to gather the environmental and geotechnical information they need to complete successful projects.

Last month Earth Environmental & Geotechnical worked with students from local schools @John of Gaunt -Trowbridge, @King Edwards School – Bath @Ralph Allen School -Bath Over three weeks the students had the opportunity to work with @Simon Leat and the South West Regional Office to gain an understanding of careers in Geotechnical and Environmental Sciences.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical provides an extensive range of Site Investigation Services. We are involved in some exciting projects, delivering site investigation services and Geotechnical services across the UK...

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical have recently secured many prestigious new projects including pre-acquisition due diligence surveys, wind farm projects, solar farm projects, coal mining site investigations, geotechnical site investigations and slope stability assessments. We are recruiting throughout UK to support our future growth and expansion

What is a Site Investigation / What are Site Investigations? A site investigation is used to assess the ground conditions and sub surface structure of a development site or property. The site investigation will collect geotechnical and environmental data and information to determine if the specific site is suitable for the planned development proposal. The scope of the investigations and techniques used will depend on a range of factors including:

Regional Office: South commissioned to undertake a ground investigation to investigate ground condition for geotechnical design at a site in Frilford. EEGSL had earlier been commissioned to carry out soak-away testing on this site, however the client then required further geotechnical investigation and requested it to be combined with current archaeological investigations on site.

Earth Environmental & Geotechnical would like to wish you and all those close to you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.However you plan to spend your time over the festive season, we wish you health and happiness and hopefully a time to relax with those close to you. Have a great Christmas and we look forward to 2022

From Soil Logging Courses to Phase 1 Desk Studies, it’s been an exciting 1st Month as a Geography and Geology, Graduate! Since starting at Earth Environmental & Geotechnical on the 7th September, Bethany’s first few weeks of training have been exciting and extensive. She has already been involved in Phase 1 Desk Study reports and completed several training courses, including soil logging and first aid.

Do I need a Phase 1 Desk Study? If you are planning to develop a site you will generally need to complete a Phase 1 Desk Study. A Phase 1 Desktop Study is a preliminary risk assessment which highlights the potential areas of concern of developing on the proposed site. The report will collate and review a wide range of published information about the specific site to gain detailed information of the development sites historical, geological and environmental location.