June 2009
Two Halcrow projects have celebrated success at this year’s Thomas Brassey Awards for 2009.
Halcrow’s Darent Valley Path Improvements in Dartford, Kent, received the Community Award with the Lullingstone Gauging Station Improvement Works at Lullingstone Castle in Eynsford, Kent, receiving highly commended in the water category.
Award categories included Transport, Water, Innovation and Community and all entries were required to have been substantially completed in the last twelve months.
Projects were judged on criteria such as the technical challenges involved, sustainability and engagement with the community.
Darent Valley Path Improvements received the Community Award for safely and sustainably connecting the public with the River Darent whilst managing flood risk. The judges noted the innovative approach with which the project team created a safe, enjoyable environment for both leisure walkers and cyclists whilst finding solutions to carry the path over obstacles such as a railway bridge and a busy three lane road. This durable path will require very little maintenance and judges commended efforts to reduce environmental impact which included minimal use of natural resources during construction and the creation of additional wetland nearby.
The Lullingstone Gauging Station Improvement works, received Highly Commended in the Water Category. Lullingstone Gauging Station consisted of a simple horizontal weir that was constructed to maintain a lake on the River Darent for Lullingstone Castle. These £186,000 works enhanced the accuracy of gauging river flows at the site, improved fish passage and provided access for operations staff to clear the weir of blockages. Despite having only two months allocated to complete the works, and the start of this period coinciding with a foot of snow and heavy floods, the contract was successfully completed two days before the arrival of coach loads of tourists for the opening of the Castle, and through the whole team’s commitment to the re-use of materials and waste reduction, the landfill waste from the project was less than one skip.