We were tasked with vegetation clearance and ecological works for the 5 km, multimillion-pound pipelines through Swinley Forest for South East Water
Timelines were exceptionally tight and required detailed planning with the clients, landowners and ecologists. Failure to meet the seasonal hibernation time constraints would have caused significant timing and cost issues for our client.
In just three weeks, we cleared four large newt-fenced areas and over 4 km of soft vegetation and fallen timber, all by hand and under the supervision of licensed ecologists.
In total, approximately 1000 m3 of material was cut and raked by hand.
In the highest risk areas, our work included hand and mechanical examination of forest floor, exposing areas in which reptiles may be seeking refuge. Our team worked under extreme pressure, focusing on the common objective with our clients and ecologists, coordinating our own teams, subcontractors and an array of stakeholders, from Crown Estates to the MoD.
All pre-construction ecological trapping and mitigation work was successfully undertaken and completed and, as summed up by South East Water, it was a fantastic achievement and only possible because of the hard work and cooperation between the teams involved.