Professional Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineers in Alton

You must be absolutely clear about the final outcomes of your project. It is vitally important that we work with you and your design team at the earliest stage to understand the current restriction and hurdles required to be overcome for your development. Whether this is costing the development to buy, overcoming a planning condition or objection or technical query from a consultee. Please send us as much information as you can, so we know how best to advise you to get you building.

We use MCert and UKAS accredited labs, on a standard five working day turnaround (three days are available for a surcharge) and we ensure all samples sent do not deviate. You must be careful with the deviation. Wrong sample tubs or extended handling times can mean results are not as reliable as you think. This is in both the contaminated land and geotechnical world. For example, in the latter, a sample may appear to have a moisture deficit if left out to dry whilst awaiting collection.

We cannot exactly predict the results of the chemical laboratory analysis that we commission. If we could, we would be billionaires! Sometimes the results are uncertain, i.e., we get a couple of positives and the rest negative. More samples mean more certainty in the data, which lead to better evidence-based decisions being made and provides reassurance when a council officer reviews the report. We mainly want to avoid one scenario, the false positive. False positives mean you remediate a site when it is not required. Sometimes more info aids this.

You will be aware that we cannot excavate every single cm3 of Made Ground from the site, pass it all through a mass spectrometer and let you know the chemical make-up. Site Investigation and risk assessment is a balance between data and uncertainty. It is up to us to manage that balance with you. Occasionally, unexpected contamination is found, beneath buildings or slabs not previously accessed or in the ground between trial pits where no source was identified for its presence. This can be dealt with fairly easily. Discuss the occurrence with your engineer and we can visit, assess the issue, and provide advice on dealing with it. This can be done without it becoming a big problem causing delays.

Sometimes it is just the simple things: Like digging a trial hole to a depth of 2.5/3m, directly in line with a proposed foundation trench. It creates disturbed soils to depth on a foundation line, which have to be dug out at a later date.