EDS

Client: Syngenta Limited

Location: Yalding, Kent

The Issue

Design a remediation strategy for a former 100 acre agrochemicals manufacturing facility.

The site has the potential to flood, provoking serious concerns about contamination, particularly among local residents. This would not only present an environmental problem, but it would severely damage the company’s corporate reputation.

The Objective

Provide a complete, tailored solution for the remediation of the site meeting the highest environmental standards, enabling the transfer of all future environmental liabilities to a chosen developer with all town planning and regulatory matters satisfactorily discharged.

The Solution

• Design a turn-key solution for the remediation of the Yalding facility to the highest environmental standards, to facilitate the transfer of all future environmental liabilities to a chosen developer, enabling the site to be redeveloped to a defined end use, agreed with client.
• Provide an innovative, integrated remediation strategy which addresses the issues of impacted soils, groundwater, flooding, treatment and environmental management. In excess of 30 sub-reports underpinned the strategy.
• EDSR proposed the use of Thermal Desorption and Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs), sometimes called Groundwater Filter Barriers. Thermal Desorption is a process that uses heat to remove contaminants by turning them into gases so they can be separated from the soil. The PRB’s filter out any remaining contamination residues in the groundwater.
• The compilation of a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA was required due to the site's location, complexity and factors such as ecology, noise, air quality, traffic and the landscape were key components.
• Obtain all relevant licences, planning permissions, consents and approvals required to sign off the design stage of the project and allow work to begin.
• Compilation of budgets and negotiation of a contract for the full remediation of the site including a full independent audit to determine the cost of the remediation implementation phase and to obtain Syngenta Board approval to proceed with execution of the works.
• The remediation was carried out using High Temperature Thermal Desorption on a large scale.
• Manage public relations with neighbours, regulators and other stakeholders in order to achieve buy-in to the proposed solution.