Greenwich Peninsula regeneration

Confirmation of the potential value of brownfield redevelopment, through a

combination of reclamation technology and investment, comes in new

Government research into the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula in

London.

Commenting on the study, DETR Regeneration Minister Hilary Armstrong, said:

“The impact of the peninsula developments will extend long after the

Millennium celebrations, providing lasting economic opportunities ­ locally

and across the Thames Gateway. The transformation of the peninsula from a

wasteland to a vibrant area of prosperity and activity shows just what

regeneration with a vision can achieve.”

The report shows that the clean-up and development of the peninsula,

including the Millennium Dome, the Greenwich Millennium Village and a new

park, have provided jobs, funding and a focus for regeneration programmes.

The study estimates that about 20-40% (£25-50 million) of the value of

Single Regeneration Budget (SEB) programmes awarded in the local area in the

late 1990s was geared to exploit opportunities presented by the peninsula

developments.

The decision to locate the Millennium Experience on the peninsula in 1996

prompted much of the regeneration activity that rapidly followed, the study

notes. English Partnerships became involved as the landowner of the former

British Gas site on the peninsula in February 1997. It took on the

responsibility for land decontamination and site preparation for the

Greenwich Peninsula developments as a whole.

The current masterplan envisages an innovative mixed-use development. Part

of this encompasses the Greenwich Millennium Village, with its associated

retail, leisure and hotel developments. “However,” the study emphasises,

“until the future use of the Dome is determined, the way in which the

remainder of the peninsula will actually be developed remains uncertain.”

Dealing with development so far, the study estimates that £150-155 million

of public expenditure will have been associated with regeneration activity

linked to the peninsula developments carried out to date. The report for the

DETR also states that possible future outputs include: 80 hectares of fully

remediated and serviced land and 30 hectares of partially remediated land

which has already been achieved; 1,377 mixed tenure homes in the Millennium

Village and a further 1,600 elsewhere on the peninsula: and a range of

environmental improvements (eg to the riverside).

Protection at the Dome

One of the technical features of the wide-ranging use of decontamination

techniques applied to flagship Greenwich Peninsula site was the use a

flexible membrane to seal the entire floor area of the Dome.

For a century the land where the Millennium Dome has been erected was the

site for Port Greenwich Gasworks, causing the soil to be extensively

contaminated by coal gasification waste. Contamination could be found in

land to a depth of four metres.

The first clean-up of the land was conducted by British Gas. This involved

the removal of material which was in danger of causing pollution ­ ground

water being particularly susceptible. Around 700,000 tonnes was taken away

to designated dumps.

The remaining land was subjected to various processes to rid it of

contaminate particles ­ washing, soil vapour extraction and speeding up

aerobic biodegradation by drawing oxygen into the ground. The work,

undertaken by Nuttall, was complete in December 1997.

English Partnerships, the current owner of the site where millions of

visitors are expected to visit the Dome, and where a priority is ecological

welfare in the development of surrounding land, has ensured that the

remaining contaminated land is effectively managed.

The Millennium Dome covers an area of around 80,000m2. The entire floor area

was sealed by a flexible membrane liner to prevent contaminated particles

from rising upwards. Geofabrics MP400 is being used as a protection barrier

to the gas membrane, both inside the dome and associated external buildings.

Geofabrics MP400 offers a high puncture resistance of 3,000N for a

lightweight geotextile of 400g/m.

Liner installer for the project was Landline.

Contaminated land guidance

The regeneration of brownfield sites, on a nation-wide scale, is likely to

gather momentum now that the Government¹s Contaminated Land Guidance has

been published in its final version.

Published on 16 February 2000, the DETR¹s Contaminated Land (England)

Regulations 2000 & Statutory Guidance: Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA)

(Final) deals with the regulations and statutory guidance which form key

elements in the implementation of the new regulatory regime for the legacy

of contaminated land.

The statutory guidance covers five distinct aspects of the regime: the

definition of contaminated land; its identification; its remediation;

exclusions from and apportionment of liabilities for the cost of

remediation: and recovery of the cost of remediation.