| Project Value | £1,400,000.00 |
| Project Programme Period | 52 Weeks |
| Type of works | Demolition, Remediation and Earthworks |
Introduction
The regeneration of the former Goodyear Tyre Factory was one of the most sensitive undertaken for its consideration of the surrounding community. The tradename may be familiar to most people, but the area where the UK manufacturing of the iconic tyre brand took place is less famous. The former tyre manufacturing site was located within residential streets of Wolverhampton, 1.25 miles north of the city centre.
Works Description
The demolition of the former factory also shows excellent thought and mitigation of the risks associated with demolishing a building to the ground in such a sensitive setting. Establishing the requirements of the neighbouring school and community during the remaining demolition works allowed EDR to provide confidence that robust demolition techniques and boundary management systems were adopted to prevent nuisance. Carbon black, the main feedstock used to in rubber tyre production, had discoloured the brickwork after decades of exposure. The plan to control dust and noise, whilst retaining the former factory façade, had many benefits. The concern that the hydrophobic carbon black would be liberated as the masonry was disturbed required a physical barrier to reduce air movement and contain material not readily supressed by water. The outward facing buildings disguised the extensive demolition operation but also served to reduce noise, dust and vehicle movements meaning that residents were unaware anything was going on until the final sections where removed. This simple but effective sequencing of the work was a key example of how well considered the residents and school children were in the regeneration of the site.
The remediation approach focussed on flexibility and sustainability. The industrial legacy of the site meant there was residual contamination including asbestos, landfilling of rubber crumb, hotspots of volatile organics, and hydrocarbon residues including LNAPL in both the soils and the perched groundwater. Complex ground conditions including historical tips, former clay pits and over a hundred years of overlapping development had left many levels of ground obstructions (factory foundations and basements) at the site. This required the reclamation and remediation process to be robust but also targeted and cost effective to ensure project viability. The approved remediation strategies targeted the significant reduction in key contaminant concentrations utilising a progressive turnover and reclamation strategy was used to identify and excavate areas heavily impacted. This was undertaken concurrently with isolated removal of free phase hydrocarbons and solvents. The sitewide turnover excavated and recompacted approximately 250,000m3 material.
