KDC completes factory remediation in Birmingham

UK contractor KDC Group has recently completed a £2.5 million (US$3.9 million) contract to help transform the former MG Rover car factory at Longbridge East in Birmingham. The 17 acre site is part of main contractor St Medwen’s overall £1 billion (US$1.6 billion) regeneration scheme that covers more than 468 acres (190 hectares). The plan calls for the conversion of what was one of Britain’s major car manufacturing centres into a new thriving community, generating new housing and creating numerous employment opportunities.

KDC removed the former factory’s below ground infrastructure and concrete slabs, remediated the soil and ground water, and reprofiled the site, with the work carried out by 12 employees of the company’s contaminated land and groundwater remediation business. The work included the installation of a 6 m (19.7 ft) deep, 200 m (656 ft) long treatment tunnel using the latest contamination treatment techniques that captures and treats water prior to it reaching the site.

According to contract manager Michelle Rodgers: “The project required highly skilled engineers to use all the latest techniques due to the industrial nature of the area. We have extensive experience working on regeneration projects and it’s fantastic to add this project to our roster. We were working to a strict timeline. When completed, the site will become a hub for the local community and we are delighted to be involved.”

According to Mark Batchelor, construction manager for St. Modwen, “We awarded the remediation contract to KDC due to the experience of the business and the highly skilled project team. We have undertaken extensive remediation works across the wider Longbridge site and sustainability is always at the heart of what we do, with the overall aim of recycling more than 95 per cent of on-site material for future use in the project. This reduces the need for importing and off-site disposal of material, thus decreasing traffic on the roads and reducing the carbon emissions of the project.”