Newsletter – Q3 2024

Hello from all at Rodgers Leask. Welcome back to our quarterly newsletter – your go-to for all the latest updates, project insights, and events and networking that kept us busy during the past few months.

As always, don’t forget, we’re also interested to hear what you are working on and if we can support you. To get in touch with one of our team, email us at rlladmin@rodgersleask.co.uk or call 01332 285000.  

To stay up to date with our latest news and project updates make sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

Behind the scenes

We were pleased to finalise our new membership with the Land, Planning, and Development Federation (LPDF), a collective of leading land promotion and development firms across the UK. As members, we will collaborate on best practices to advance housing and infrastructure delivery. To kick off our involvement, our directors, Stewart Friel and Howel Morris, had the opportunity to catch up with fellow professionals and make new connections at the LPDF summer party, all with stunning views of London’s skyline!

This quarter, we began to roll out our ‘direct from our directors’ series, and the first to sit down with us was Kully Toor, our director for structures. He chatted through his 25-year career and provided some words of wisdom on working within the engineering industry. He also gave a bit of insight into his life outside of work.

You can read Kully’s full director profile here. Make sure to stay tuned to hear more from our directors as the series continues.

We hosted some great netwalking events in Q3, mixing networking with the great outdoors. Our teams created the opportunity to get to know clients and colleagues better as they explored Dursley, Cannock Chase, Bradgate Park and Elvaston Castle. We also joined forces with Bentley to co-host a summer netwalking event from Calver to Froggatt, and despite the sun not being on the team’s side, the morning was enjoyed by all.

Our director Stewart Friel represented us at the Contaminated Land Expo in Birmingham this summer, where he engaged in discussions about environmental sustainability and got an insight into the latest products and services on offer. Stewart said: ‘It was interesting to hear Angus Niven, Matt Timmins and Karen Thornton discussing their roles in promoting responsible and sustainable land remediation practices.

“I also found the panel discussion on the future of sustainable soils in construction and how the DoW CoP MMP can be used to deliver sustainable remediation strategies as part of the circular economy particularly informative.”

Industry insights

On World River Day, 4 September, we heard from our regional director Dave Bathurst, who highlighted the role rivers play within our environment, the value they hold, and the threats they face from pollution and development. Dave said: “In terms of the quality of water in our rivers, the UK Government have tasked organisations such as the Environment Agency, Defra and Ofwat to investigate the use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and hold water companies accountable for their use. Through planning policy and guidance, developers are also being made responsible for improvements to water quality by introducing Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) that incorporate measures to capture and treat pollutants. We need rivers more than we think, so having a day dedicated to reminding us how important they are and how important it is to look after them is very worthwhile in my view.”

One of our principal engineers, Alex Parkes, recently visited the Severn Trent Water head office in Coventry to present on the implications of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The informative presentation covered how the changes may impact developers once implemented, the technical approval process that new sites will require and how this relates to SuDS.

Our structural and civil engineers provided critical early support to the restoration of Chesterfield Canal. The project aims to restore the ‘missing mile’ of the canal, and our teams were on hand to help design a replacement for the aqueduct. This project is a wonderful example of the positive impact restorations such as this can have on improving habitats, biodiversity and the local economy.

Earlier in the summer we were thrilled to announce our appointment to two recently launched four-year residential frameworks, reflecting our growing reputation for delivering high-quality civil, structural and geo-environmental engineering services. These frameworks mean our civil and structural support can now be procured through Great Places Housing Group’s £1.5 billion Innovation Chain North (ICN) framework. We can now also provide housing associations in the Midlands and East of England with ground investigation services through the £6.6 million Keystone Developments Limited Professional Services and Consultancy Framework for new build residential, new build extra care and refurbishment projects.

Chris Pollet, our regional director in Liverpool, said: “The ICN framework is particularly competitive, proven by the number of applications and appointments, so we’re very pleased to have earned our place. Our presence and work pipeline in the north of England continues to grow, with this latest framework appointment undoubtedly set to help us support the delivery of new homes for a number of housing associations with exciting plans.”

Find out more about the framework appointments on our website.

In the community

We proudly supported International Day of Charity in September, taking a look back at the time our teams have dedicated so far to give back and make a positive impact on our local communities. So far this year our teams have already spent an incredible 109 hours volunteering across Bristol, Derby, Liverpool and Nottingham. We’ve hosted design workshops with university students, reopened neglected woodland for local schools, and even helped to host a Cub Scout Jamboree camping weekend.

Our Bristol team helped to revitalise neglected woodland at Marden Vale Academy, now ready to be enjoyed as a ‘Forest School’ area. By clearing overgrown vegetation, installing a new gate and building a rope swing, the team helped transform the site into an outdoor learning space for students. The team was also kindly awarded the ‘Appreciated Award’ from the school after the project was completed.

The Derby civil engineering team lent their expertise to Derby Kids Camp’s ‘Big Build’, helping to create camp facilities that were enjoyed by over 300 local children during the summer. The team helped set up twelve marquees, eleven children’s tents, and a barn full of equipment, all in a casual 36 hours!

The Nottingham office rolled up their sleeves for a day of volunteering at both Cotgrave Country Park, and The Oliver Hind Youth Club with local charity Epic Partners. The team helped install two informational lectern boards and got to work clearing vegetation, removing litter and creating a new garden bed as part of the Youth Club’s new sensory garden.