Soil Environment Services advise on all issues related to the development of soil and manage complete soil development strategies for plant growth purposes on restored or reclaimed sites.
We undertake:
- initial site reconnaissance surveys to establish the available soil resources
- develop a soil management strategy
- specify precise soil movement or soil manufacture plans for specific end uses
- oversee on-site operations
Soil Environment Services have managed soil problems and complete management strategies on a range of sites including English Partnerships Coalfields Regeneration Programme sites:
| Monkton cokeworks |
No soil |
| Lambton cokeworks |
No soil/ manufacture with spoil |
| Corby iron foundry and industrial waste site |
Limited soil resources |
| Alcan pulverised fuel ash lagoons at Blyth |
Grass growth for stabilisation |
| Tarmac's limestone quarry at Swinden |
Soil development with ‘scalpings' |
| Sand and gravel quarry silt ponds at Catterick |
Soil development in silt |
 As specialists in soil manufacture Soil Environment Services can design a growing medium for environmentally diverse and visually pleasing sites where former industry has left land in a contaminated and derelict condition. Soils for woodland, grassland or sports purposes can be developed.
Collaboration and integration
Throughout the restoration or reclamation works, from design conception to implementation Soil Environment Services will liase and collaborate with other lead consultants, the site owner, earthmoving contractors, the local authority, Environment Agency and local community groups. Information such as proposed end uses, budgets and timing are factored into a project from the start and must be considered at each stage of the development. Soil Environment Services liase with the Environment Agency to obtain all necessary licences for the use of imported materials within the soil manufacture.
Contamination Issues
Contaminated Land Risk Assessments are integrated into the soil forming materials assessment to identify any risks to plants, human health or controlled waters from contaminative materials.
 Soil profile design
A broad range of information sources are drawn upon for soil profile design and include various industry specifications, best practice guidance documents and specialised software programmes.
Trials, testing and on-going monitoring
For an experimental trial, on-site materials are mixed with imported materials such as organic amendments to assess water holding capacity and other qualities necessary for plant growth but with a view to optimising overall costs. Monitoring of leachates from trials provides information on future impacts on controlled waters. Planting trials eliminate questions of suitability for the materials to support the proposed habitats.
Soil Environment Services staff are members of the British Land Reclamation Society and edit papers for the industry journal Land Contamination and Reclamation.
Contact us on Newcastle 0191 243 0686 or Reading 0118 965 7523 to discuss
your requirements for soil survey or manufacturing.
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