The ebb and flow of SUDS and Planning. A project in drainage - by Haroon Lulat

This is a story of successive problem solving ~ 
combining technical knowledge with innovative design and planning.

Part of a massive urbanisation project outside Hinckley in the Midlands, JMS were appointed to introduce a flow control system at the point of exit to main Water Authority drainage for 6 industrial units at Nutts Lane.  The drawings being submitted were necessary for Planning Permission.

This sensitive area comprises a site of six new industrial units with HGV hard standing off a lane bordered by the Ashby de la Zouch Canal.

Two major problems were evident from the outset – firstly that the drop to the main pipes was too shallow for the smaller pipes to achieve effective flow; and there is no natural infiltration on site as the ground has no permeability. 

And this was for just three of the six units.

Instead of a Planning Officer, JMS needed to secure the approval of the Drainage Officer at Hinckley Burrough Council, who required considerably more efficient water treatment plans to deliver SUDS requirements and secure planning.

Water leaving the site would pass through a bypass oil interceptor for treatment before reaching the main drainage (right). 

However the system being designed for a 1 in 100 +40% storm / heavy weather at greenfield rate of 5 litre per second outflow would exceed the flow controller’s capacity, backing up into the site.  

We had to slow the flow down and introduce effective permeability to clean the water further before infiltration. 

The text book first step was to introduce catch pits (left) to filter out sediment contamination. 

The next text book solution was permeable paving whose porosity would filter the water into the manufactured and natural sub-structure. But – this wouldn’t support the weight of standing HGVs.

To get round this, hard standing and areas of permeable paving were alternated across the overall standing area in front of the units.

Channel drains were added to the end of each hard standing enabling excess water to flow back into the sub-base, supporting attenuation and, in turn, now making the hard standing an integral part of the whole drainage system.

To aid attenuation further, the pipes being employed were specified to be porous – but (yes, another one) to protect them from HGV movement they would have to be concreted in:

 ... bang goes porosity, bang goes infiltration, bang goes planning. Surely.

Thanks here to Topmix Permeable concrete from Tarmac (view here). 

The pipes can now be concreted in and well protected . The permeability of the combined solutions finally prevail. Hooray ... surely!!

With planning permission being dangled before our very eyes, the plans now highlighted the remaining three units. Their drainage had nowhere to go but into the drainage system so expertly crafted for the first three units. 

There was no room for permeable paving, channel drains, catch pits etc. This water would flow, petrol, oils, silt, debris and it would all come at once.

There was however room for just one thing – bring on the Downstream Defender (right). 

This, the latest of the X-Men, cleans and filtrates the drainage to such a high standard, that the water leaving it to flow into the lower drainage system actually now helps the cleaning process. 

It has become a further integral part of the overall site drainage solution.

The result – Planning Permission approved ... just another day in the mud !

Thank you Haroon. 

Haroon is part of the team at JMS Midlands, based in Nuneaton. 
For JMS Midlands, please call 02476 350 505.

We add value to every project we have been,
are, and will be equally proud to support.

Brexit. Trump. Economic forecasts. JMS - growth in the shadow of headline gloom. Daniel Staines

What a world. 

Hand on heart I don’t believe any but the brave really expected the Brexit vote to take us out of Europe and the relative stability of ‘the past’. And, again, who truly thought that an outspoken businessman and reality show host would become President Elect of the United States of America.

The foundations of traditional stability – politically, socially and economically – have been well and truly shaken and the watch word is uncertainty.

Is it really possible to make viable forecasts in such uncertain times? So what are we to make of last week’s report in the Business section of BBC News online. It said: “The UK’s construction sector recorded its weakest performance for four years in the July – September quarter”. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that “Construction volumes fell by 1.1%”.

The figures measure the first three months following the Brexit vote.

Similarly, Experian published a revision to its growth forecast. They have downgraded construction’s growth to 1.7% from their April forecast of 2.9% and suggest it will remain at 1.7% through and into 2018. The illustration (right) is from the Experian report.

The economist, Michael Dall, from Barbour ABI reacted to the report saying, “Had the vote been to Remain, I would have expected a stronger second half of the year so growth overall would be better for 2016.

Add to this doom laden missive the latest from SIG who issued a profit warning as its chief executive, Stuart Mitchell stepped down.

This is the big picture of course.

But, should we let it affect us. Do we follow a forecast or react to it by continuing to operate positively, smartly, efficiently, professionally. 

Over the past two years, JMS has both physically and financially doubled in size. We are in a sound financial position with a full (if not over-full) order book and a strategy for further sustained growth and geographical expansion. 

Both the London office and Chelmsford office have just signed contracts for new, larger premises and the Midlands office is knocking walls down to accommodate more staff. And just last month we opened a Nottingham office. We are growing and we are exceeding our targets.

Be sure though. Such growth is no frivolous finger to economic forecasts. JMS expends its service network with control and stealth.

We spread slowly geographically but grow intellectually by developing a broad combination of skill-sets which are networked across several self-motivated offices. This gives clients the benefits of regional project management, whilst drawing on top level expertise from across the group, to skilfully support each technical discipline within the project.

As we continue to grow, we take advantage of our ability to rapidly alter direction, to absorb changing circumstances and maintain our ‘can do attitude’.

Brexit, what Brexit. Gloom, what gloom. Forecasts – we’ll stick to our own thank you. 

And as for you Mr Trump, one thing you do understand is construction, so you’ll appreciate our optimism ... with or without your wall in our project pipeline.

We add value to every project we have been,
are, and will be equally proud to support.

From brown site to green light - and more

From brown site to green light

The green light was given following a public consultation by South Cambridgeshire District Council in June on the planning application by Bloor Homes.

This was for the first 92 of 10,000 homes being built on the old RAF Oakington base off the A14 north of Cambridge.

The plans included the look and feel of the new homes, spacing, layout, trees, landscaping and areas for children to play. The application also covered the layout and location of roads, paths and cycleways.

Cllr Tim Wotherspoon, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet member for strategic planning, said: ‘We already have a school building in place but the first homes being given planning permission, and building work being just around the corner, is a huge landmark.’

Kieran and the Chelmsford team have been working with Bloor Homes on the first phase of this long awaited new homes development in Cambridgeshire.

The 10,000 new homes will have an anticipated population of 24,400 - similar to Huntingdon up the road.

Getting to, from and around Northstowe will be simple and easy.  Northstowe has been designed with fully integrated transport choices in mind offering sustainable options that promote healthy living.

Nature will never be very far away to the residents of Northstowe and this will help to promote health and wellbeing.


Award Winning Barons Keep

Tom Jeffcoat of the Midlands office is about to start Phase 2 of the award winning Barons Keep project.

The award is the prestigious Hammersmith Society Environment Award

The project was described as a "sensitively designed new roof extension to a 1920s’ mansion block. The sweeping curving eaves of the new projecting roof complement the existing house style and create a crisp skyline enhancement."

Barons Keep is situated on the western edge of what was the Gunter Estate, the land purchased piecemeal by James Gunter from 1799 and mainly used as market gardens until it was developed for housing from the latter C19th onwards. Barons Keep was built in 1937, a U-shaped range of apartment blocks designed in ocean-liner style overlooking a private garden.


The orientation of the buildings was to provide each apartment with a view over the open land on the other side of Gliddon Road, formerly St Paul's School playing fields, but now occupied by Hammersmith & Fulham West London College.

The site is surrounded by a low brick wall with modern wrought-iron fencing and gates and low hedges, and a number of mature trees. At each end of the gardens are two circular beds planted with flowers and grass, linked by a rectangular grassed bed with one tree. The access roads are private and now used for car parking.


All the world's a stage

London’s Shaftesbury Theatre is as proud of its £5 million extension as a we (JMS) are proud to have been part of the extraordinary project.  that will update its technical capabilities and enable it to host larger productions.

The project was driven by the owners, the Taffner family, who have huge pride and they don't want a dilapidated wreck – they want a state of the art building for the theatre and its productions.

The development, on the roof of the West End theatre, introduced a new flytower, allowing the venue to stage larger productions with more complicated production requirements. Previously, they were only able to use the flytower to support a weight of around 12 tonnes. The newly completed tower will allow the Shaftesbury’s flytower to take weights of between 30 and 35 tonnes.

The new tower will also give the theatre space to store complicated scenery. Large pieces of scenery from the first act can now be stored easily, up and out of the way, into one of the galleries stage left and right. This provides a greater flexibility for producers to be more creative - essential for big West End productions.

The distinctive saw-tooth form is designed to accommodate windows and smoke vents, among other things. Strips of weathering steel clad the structure, giving it a burnt orange colouring that references the facades of neighbouring buildings.

The original Renaissance-style building was designed by renowned theatre architect Bertie Crewe in 1911 and was the first steel-framed playhouse in London. It features ornate stonework, a turret and an auditorium with an openable rolling roof.

"Whilst maintaining the grace and beauty of the Shaftesbury, we now have a contemporary addition that enhances the facilities of the theatre, giving us the capacity to accommodate the increasing demands of productions," said theatre chief executive James Williams.

We add value to every project we have been,
are, and will be equally proud to support.