92
hectare site
Urbanisation
Kingsgrove, Wantage
We are leading the strategic development of a 92-hectare site in Wantage to provide 1,500 new homes, a 420-pupil two-form entry primary school, community building, pub, care home, shops and sports facilities, bounded by 12.5 hectares of new woodland and creative landscaping.
Employing our services as Project Manager, Development Coordinator, Cost Consultant, Employer’s Agent and Principal Designer, we have developed major new infrastructure for the site including roads, mains services and a comprehensive drainage system incorporating landscaping designed to complement the rural nature of the surrounding area.
As part of the infrastructure works, we have managed the construction of two new junctions off the main A417 Reading Road and are currently in the early stages of procurement of a new major east-west link road to the north of the site which will connect the A417 Reading Road with the A338 Grove Road.
We also coordinated an extensive archaeological scheme prior to development commencing that revealed the site was subject to major ecological constraints which were then addressed as a priority throughout each construction phase.
Key details
Project name
Kingsgrove
Client
St Modwen Developments
Location
Wantage, Oxfordshire
Services provided
- Project Management
- Development Coordination
- Cost Consultancy
- Employer's Agent
- Principal Designer
Challenge
A multi-faceted scheme, the project presented numerous complex issues for the team to solve including the very sensitive nature of the scheme politically owing to its rural setting.
One of the key challenges on this site was the design of both temporary and permanent drainage in line with the phasing of both the infrastructure and platform preparation projects to keep the site operational and minimise the risk of impact on surrounding areas. The silty-clay subsoil was prone to becoming unworkable in very wet conditions and this presented a major issue when planning for programmed activities to be successful. Heavy rainfall resulted in major water accumulations in areas where the drainage for the scheme was not in its final condition owing to the phasing of the works presenting a serious risk to local farmers' field and highways.
Solution
To avoid the negative impact of harsh winter conditions, we programmed key road projects and construction activity accordingly. Numerous temporary drainage systems were installed each winter in order to stop run-off into local farmers’ fields and major highways during record rainfall periods.
By the same token, the fine tilth of the subsoil presented a major dust problem during the summer months. We coordinated specific and targeted dust suppression measures between numerous contractors in order to minimise the risk of dust clouds enveloping highways and local residential areas.
We coordinated the overall development, liaising with housebuilders as well as directly managing civil engineering and building contractors in order to form positive working relationships.
Project statistics
1,500
new homes
34
hectares of new public open space
12.5
hectares of new woodland included
5
kilometres of new roads
