Shinfield Studios Creative Media Hub
We were commissioned to produce a Mineral Resource Assessment (MRA) in support of the EIA for the proposed Shinfield Studios Creative Media Hub development near Reading.
The development covered a total area of 26.6-hectares of predominantly open land with several buildings surrounding the site. The development is set to create a Science Park Creative Media Hub comprising film stages, associated workshops, office space, and ancillary uses including equipment stores, café, postproduction screening facility, with associated access, decked and surface parking and landscaping.
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Key details
Project name
Shinfield Studios Creative Media Hub
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Client
Bidwells on behalf of the University of Reading
Challenge
Much of the county is underlain by mineral bearing land of various type and quality intermixed with built development. Various parts of the county are safeguarded mineral areas and protected by planning policy. We were engaged by Bidwells to deliver a MRA to review the development’s potential to sterilize valuable mineral resources and assess the need, if any, for prior extraction.Â
Solution
The project could potentially impact the valuable sand and gravel resource of the River Terrace Deposits associated with the River Loddon. During the assessment, we evaluated the mineral resource, its viability for extraction both normally and prior to development and against national and local policies. Taking the quality, hydrogeology and ground conditions of the reserve into account, our assessment considered the viability of the reserve and whether extraction was necessary.
We concluded that the potential for sterilization of sand and gravel on the assessment site was unlikely to be significant or unacceptable and that there was no requirement for prior extraction of the mineral. This position was agreed under planning.Â
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