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Desktop Study – Plymouth

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SWEL were approached by a firm of architects in plymouth who required a desktop study for a change of use planning application. The shop in question was being developed in to flats, and the local planning authority had requested that a desktop study be provided to assess risk to future inhabitants from lowered ground quality.

Plymouth – Arial Imgae

After the initial walk over survey and review of historic maps and agency data it was concluded that ths ite was low risk, and SWEL recommneded tha the planning condition relating to contaminated land  be discharged.

Compost Permit Application – Woking

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Compost Permit Application – Woking

Southwest Environmenta Limited were approached by a company based in woking whop had been manufacturing compost for 30 years, they had been operating under a local authority license for the activity but now they needed an environmental permit, owing the the environmental permitting regulation coming in to force.

Over a period of 3 months SWEL prepared and submitted the application which owing to the bespoke nature of the permit required and proximity of the site to various nature reserves and sensitive receptors was a labourious process.

Add caption

The permit was granted after around 4 months.

Unfortionatly the environmental permitting regulations do not take in to account the benign nature of waste operations that have been taking place over 10’s of years with incident. For example despite having resdients living immediatly adjacent to site who had not complained of odours over the 30 year life span of the site, an odour managment plan was aked for, as was a Site Specific Bio-Aerosol Risk Assessment SSBRA.

 

Flood Risk Assessment – Bewdley, Worcestershire

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Flood Risk Assessment  – Bewdley, Worcestershire

Southwest Environmental Limited were approached by an individual looking to source a flood risk assessment for a property in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

The site appeared to be within flood zone 2, and cosisted of conversion of lost space in to a studio apartment. It was decided that owing to the low map resolution that it was likly the site was infact in flood zone 1, and this combined with the fact that the development was sited on the fiorst floor level, it was recommened as low risk.

Planning permission was sucessfully granted.

Flood Risk Assessment

Inert Waste Recovery Permit Application

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Inert Waste Recovery Permit Application – Dorset

Southwest Environmental Limited we asked to prepare an environmental permit application for a large landscaping scheme at a golf course in dorset. Import of materials classed as waste would be used for the formation of landscaping features.

A key part of a waste recovery permit application is the waste recovery plan which should be assessbmled in a to verfiy benefits of the waste scheme, in this instance is was thought that this benefit should proven via the use of a customer survey, of golf club memebers.

Gold club memebrs were asked whether they thought that the landscpaing scheme would improve the golf course. Results from this survey were then used to prove a benefit from the scheme.

Waste Recovery Plan

Environmental Permit Applications

Site Contaimation Assessment – Desktop Study Truro

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Site Contaimation Assessment  – Desktop Study Truro

A diussued agricultural building near Truro in cornwall was granted conversion for use as holiday accoodation. A pre-commecement condition was that a site contamination assessment was carried out, in order to assess risk to future inhabbitants.

A walkover survey showed that the barn had been used for the storage of low risk items, and there was little evidence of ground contamination.

It was recoommneded that the condition be discharged at this stage, and no site investigation was carried out.

Desktop Study

Desktop Study for Change of Use Planning Application Plymouth

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Desktop Study for Change of Use Planning Application Plymouth

Southwest Environmental wehere approached by a visitor atraction provider in Plymouth. They were looking to apply for change of use planning permission for an old industrial facility, with a view to using it for a go karting centre. There were no planned alterations to the building fabric, with only the addition of some light weight internal construction.

The industrial facility had been used for the constructyion of various goods over the years and so it was concluded that there was an unquantified risk to future users, as such a site ivestigation was recommended.

Following completion of the site investigation the conditions related to contaminated land were passed off, and planning permission was approved.

Desktop Study to Discharge Planning Condition

Projects – Composting Permit Application Bristol

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Southwest Environmental Limited were approached by a composter sited to the south of Bristol, UK. The composter was operating a number of sites under Paragraph Exemptions, and as Paragraph Exemptions were being phased out and replaced by environmental permits, SWEL were engaged to under take the permit applications for the various sites.

It soon became apprent howver that 2 of the 3 sites ear marked were going to require significant investment in order to meet the permit requirements namley the impermeable surfaces and sealed driangae.

One of the sites however met most the the requirements and so it was decided to concentrate operations at this site.

An environmental permit application was made and accepted and the site continues to operate. After 3 years the sites has undergone a number of compliance audits from the Environment Agency, with only very minor non-compliances most of which have been related to the condition of the site infrastructure.

SWEL make sure that permits will run for many years without any major alterations. Measures such as specifying a genrous site boundary are imprtant to ensure this.

Environmental Consultants Bristol

Project – Desktop Study Bradford

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Southwest Environmental Limited were apprioached by a private land owner who was seeking to devlope a piece of derelict ground which filled a section of street grid in Bradford, Yorkshire, UK.

It soon became apparent that the site had a history that meant it was prone to lowered soil quality. On site uses were unclear, and surrounding land had been used for heavey industrial purposes throughout the 20th centuary.

The site was alo in a Coal mining area and as such a coal mining report was sourced to establish risk to the building structure for ground collapse.

Report Sourced from Coal Authority

Environmental Consultants Bristol

Project – NHS Sustainability Reporting

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Southwest Environmental Limited were approached by a planning consultancy who were in need of some help with Sustainability Reporting for a planning application. Bristol City Council wished to see an energy assessment of the propossed healthcare devlopment and somemeasures for reducing energy emissions ergo emmisions.

SWEL prepared a report based on the local planning aithrities requirements, the development was modelled based on energy usage per bed, values derived from a study carried out in Belgium, from this end value a renewable geration capacity was reached to satify Bristol City Councils 20% renewables target.

Environmental Consultants Bristol