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Reed all about it – UPM Tilhill complete historic pond restoration work at Bury

The regeneration of an historic pond at Chamber Hall, Bury, a location where some 200 years ago Sir Robert Peel, founder of Britain's police force, spent his childhood years, has been undertaken by UPM Tilhill. The pond, once part of the Peel family estate, now lies within Bury’s Chamber Hall Business Park. The 16 hectare (40 acre) site is currently being developed by Bury Council, with part funding from the North West Development Agency, into a major employment zone for Bury.

UPM Tilhill’s Warrington office was awarded the 12 week contract to carry out the first phase of works at Chamber Hall in November 2008. Completed four weeks ahead of schedule, the team have succeeded in transforming the reed-clogged pond into an attractive landscape feature which, crucially, now has the capacity to harbour all excess rainwater from across the new development.

“Thanks to UPM Tilhill, this once choked and neglected landscape and wildlife feature has been given a new lease of life,” said Adrian Frost, Economic Development Officer, Bury Council. “It has been rewarding to be able to maintain this link to our local history and wonderful to imagine the young Robert Peel playing at the water’s edge so many years ago. How fitting that in 2010 the site will become home to a new divisional headquarters for Greater Manchester Police.”

Mike Dowd, Principal Landscape Architect, Bury Council added: “The complexity of this excavation and the subsequent demands of soil stabilisation called for the highest level of expertise – we found that in the UPM Tilhill workforce who executed the works without fault.”

UPM Tilhill undertook extensive tree felling and site clearance operations, alongside crown lifting and dead wooding of the remaining trees. The water was then drained from the site before large areas of compacted reed were removed. The pond was then excavated and dredged, the resultant 8000 tonnes of silt material was then stabilised and geotechnical remediation took place by the controlled and measured addition and incorporation of granular lime before a new land formation could be created using these arisings.

Finally the native reed bed vegetation, which had been stored, was re-introduced to the pond edges and fencing and surrounding parkland grass seeding undertaken. Surrounding parkland grass seeding will be undertaken in the spring. The newly planted reeds will now be left to re-establish before further vegetation and tree planting is carried out.

Guy Crowther, Contracts Manager, UPM Tilhill said: "We are extremely pleased to have both secured select list approval for this valued public sector client and to have had the opportunity to successfully deliver this contract within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury. These works were managed from our newly established Warrington office, which serves to further enhance the highly experienced operational and delivery capabilities of UPM Tilhill’s north west England district. Thanks must be given to the staff of Bury Council Environmental & Development Services who were engaged on this project, as their experience and professionalism has been invaluable."

-ENDS-


For further press information contact:
Ruth Roy, Head of Marketing, UPM Tilhill. Tel: 01892 861008, Mob: 07771 940494

Notes to editors
UPM Tilhill is the UK's leading landscaping, arboriculture and environmental works company. The company provides a full range of consultancy and contracting services to civil engineers, developers, landscape architects and local authorities as well as landowners. The company is a member of BALI and is registered with Construction Line, Achilles and Link-up, and has a CSCS Gold Standard Certificate.