That’s a wrap – Q4 2025 newsletter

Hello from all at Rodgers Leask and happy new year! We’ve returned from the festive break raring to go, but before we get distracted by the opportunities that this year is set to present, thank you for joining us for our latest quarterly newsletter – the best place to find a summary of the projects, events and networking that kept us busy before we entered 2026.

As always, don’t forget, we’re also interested in hearing 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

Awards season rolled around once again and while we didn’t claim victory, we were still very proud to see Indurent Park nominated for Best Sustainable Brownfield / Urban Regeneration / Infrastructure Scheme at the Brownfield Awards 2025. Indurent’s major industrial and logistics development in Newport involved extremely close, and successful, collaboration between our geo-environmental engineering team and the experts at Cumming Group and Roberts Limbrick.

Read more online about the next phase of the wider 600-acre Glan Llyn regeneration scheme which Indurent Park forms part of at the former Llanwern steelworks site: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/one-wales-most-successful-business-32843114

Continuing to reminisce about past projects that left a lasting impression on us, principal structural engineer Tom Holmes highlighted the one-year milestone since completing work on the Cotswold Canals Connected scheme, commenting: “Often our designs will have real-world implications on people long after we stop thinking about it and even after our lifetimes.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves! See what else Tom had to say about helping to restore the ‘missing mile’ of the Stroudwater Navigation on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7378352661567520768/

Conscious that we have a national team of amazing individuals, we have been sharing thoughts from our geo-environmental engineering team in recent months. From senior geo-environmental engineer Adam Taylor giving his thoughts on what the future holds for geo-environmental engineering, through to principal geo-environmental engineer Andy Gwatkin sharing his advice for anyone interested in starting a similar career, it’s our people and their ideas that make us truly unique.

Finally, behind the scenes, we can’t forget to introduce our latest team member again… We have been involved since 2017 in the Avonmouth Access 18 project. Alongside development of the area for commercial and industrial use, over 21,000 square metres of new ponds and rhines have been created to provide habitats for water voles – which has worked a treat. Meet one of our new friends through a video shared by an eagled eyed site manager: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rodgers-leask-ltd_please-meet-the-newest-member-of-the-team-activity-7403735991456321536-Fxfq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACY2o5cBT30VL6UlzXA6eA2LwXFtE694I6k

Industry insights

As 2025 drew to a close, there was no shortage of project milestones and progress. Ahead of the main construction phase of the £13.5m Foundry Business Park development in Bilston, our contribution involved making a big difference upon the commencement of earthworks and ground remediation works. We are providing specialist civil, structural, geotechnical and geological support on the commercial development, which is a disused brownfield site with a long industrial history featuring a colliery, foundry, spoil heap, railway sidings and scrap yard. Read more about the project and site challenges that have presented themselves on our LinkedIn post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rodgers-leask-ltd_geoengineering-brownfieldregeneration-westmidlands-activity-7399084517606584320-MVhY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACY2o5cBT30VL6UlzXA6eA2LwXFtE694I6k

Our structures team has been working with Avon Wildlife Trust to breathe new life into a former dairy farm on the North Somerset Levels. The project team’s ambition is to create a wetland habitat on the land and refurbish the characterful farmhouse. We’ve set our minds to creative uses for the old agricultural buildings and have already begun repurposing materials on site to make wildlife viewing platforms.

The ongoing Nestle UK – SDMVR project sees our Derby-based structural engineering team and our Liverpool-based civil engineering team working together on the development of a new evaporator plant – forming part of significant investment in the factory and its overall sustainability. Our teams have already provided their expertise throughout various stages of the project, with dynamic design work providing solutions for buried ground obstructions and shallow drainage outfall points – such as layering the drainage and ground beams. Phased steelwork installation has also allowed the 21m high MVR column to be lifted and installed, which you can watch online here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rodgers-leask-ltd_rodgersleask-structuralengineering-foodandbeverage-activity-7384151077345980417-Q0W2?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACY2o5cBT30VL6UlzXA6eA2LwXFtE694I6k

To conclude our sample of project updates from Q4, we continue to complete our role as lead designer, while also providing civil and structural engineering services, on the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield regeneration scheme. Now complete, the Market Place looks fantastic, providing a vibrant update to the historic site – celebrating the town’s heritage by supporting markets but also opening the area up for other uses that will help encourage footfall. We can’t wait to see the transformation of New Square and other areas of the town in the coming months as work continues. Read more about our involvement so far, online here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rodgers-leask-ltd_rodgersleask-civilengineering-geoenvironmental-activity-7387035131208962048-3×85?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACY2o5cBT30VL6UlzXA6eA2LwXFtE694I6k

In the community

As expected, Q4 was a sociable period. Our team both hosted and attended various events, but here were the highlights.

Allowing each member of staff two days a year to volunteer for a worthy cause, eight members of our Bristol office used this opportunity to make a difference to a school in Wiltshire. We helped Marden Vale Academy in Calne tidy up and enhance their forest school, re-paint a break-out room, create an outdoor learning shelter, re-varnish bookshelves, build an outdoor table, and treat fences and sheds. The school was thrilled with what we achieved, and the team went home with the satisfied weariness of a job well done.

Two Property and Construction NetClimbing events were hosted in collaboration with Banner Jones Solicitors, while our final Walk & Talk event of 2025 was also hosted alongside Acrisure UK Broking and the Chesterfield Property and Construction Group. Our Walk & Talk events are now confirmed for 2026, head here for more details and dates: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rodgers-leask-ltd_property-constructionindustry-netwalking-activity-7407716750185734144-JNqC?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAACY2o5cBT30VL6UlzXA6eA2LwXFtE694I6k

Finally, we were happy to host partners and clients at the Nottingham Construction Race Day in October. Despite the grey skies in the Midlands, there was plenty of optimism in the room. Fortunes were mixed on the track, but overall it was a very enjoyable day. Many thanks to our guests for joining us and Nottingham Racecourse for the hospitality.