Walsall Council HWRC and WTS from feasibility to delivery

Challenge

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (the council) were considering the opportunity for expanding and enhancing the performance of their household waste recycling centre (HWRC) and waste transfer stations (WTS) provision and have engaged SLR (formally Wardell Armstrong) to support them through that process. The council currently operate two HWRCs, one of which, at Fryers Road, is severely space constrained and co-located with the existing WTS. The existing Fryers Road WTS is unable to accommodate fire suppression equipment or design features required by the Environment Agency as part of the fire prevention plan requirements within the environmental permitting regime and therefore is in urgent need of replacement.

Alongside the council’s need to address the more immediate legislative requirements at Fryers Road, the council has an emerging waste strategy that considers the council’s future demands based on aspects including population and housing growth. The opportunity to address both the Fryers Road WTS constraints at the same time as investing in a future-proofed waste management service with enhanced HWRC provision has therefore been the focus of this study. The scope included:

Solution

Feasibility study for the development of a new, larger combined HWRC and WTS on an identified site. The focus of the study was to:

• understand if the identified site is viable to house the required HWRC and WTS whilst addressing the issues associated with the existing site and enhancing the service provisions;
• consider the delivery of a facility that is cost effective, technically viable, and flexible to the changing policy and market requirements.
• assessment of site attributes and constraints, layout design, construction and operational costs, revenue potential, project risks, waste flow modelling and facility performance.

Detailed options review - incorporating options for combined sites, including both sites already owned by the council, and those that may be available for purchase, offering potential for additional capacity for a wider range of services and / or space to generate revenue returns, aligned with the councils wider objectives such as the enterprise zone. The additional services included a small trader scheme and reuse shop.

Business case - provided recommendations for the route to be taken in order to address the strategic requirements both locally and nationally whilst future proofing the delivery of the council’s waste collection and disposal services in order to meet changing legislation and demands through the creation of a new WTS and HWRC. The business case, using the Green Book, was presented at cabinet and approved.

Site assessment – once the sites were determined, assessments and surveys were undertaken regarding ecology, ground conditions, and traffic as well as specific consideration given to the planning and permitting requirements.

Layout design – layout designs were developed for both sites to include provision of additional services such as a small trader scheme and reuse shop, and refined through workshops with the council team and key stakeholders. The final designs were presented alongside commentary of the benefits, risks, constraints and indicative capex costs.

Planning and EIA – the detailed business case was approved and the team continued to support the council in delivering the project, providing planning and EIA support for both sites, including:

• Environmental site surveys such as ecology, flood, air quality, traffic, and noise
• Biodiversity enhancement assessment, including liaison with relevant stakeholders
• Stakeholder and public engagement
• Solar PV panel options review
• Submission of the planning applications and EIA

Contractor procurement – the team developed the full suite of procurement documentation including specification, evaluation methodology and criteria, new engineering contract (NEC) and schedules for the design and build of the WTS and HWRC at Middlemore Lane. This work also included:

• assisting with the estimation of development costs;
• development of construction price, commissioning costs, operating and lifecycle costs, and cash flow modelling to align with the project programme;
• negotiations with contractors, including assessment of contractors’ proposals with respect to layout design, programme, environmental protection, health and safety etc;
• preparation of the development programme to meet the project requirements and the proposed service commencement date.

Project manager and owners engineer - the team also undertook the roles of NEC project manager, supervisor and owners engineer, supporting the client team in ensuring the effective delivery of the works on the ground. As the named NEC4 contract project manager we managed the contractor and their works throughout construction. This involved:

• ensuring that all works were as per the scope;
• ensuring the quality of the works;
• tracking the contractor to make sure they stayed on programme;
• administration of the NEC4 contract;
• working with the client and contractor to manage any issues which arose during construction;
• managing and reviewing any additional costs which arose during construction.

As supervisor during the works on site, we ensured works were undertaken in accordance with the contract and its quality expectations, and input into various design aspects as they arose.

Environmental permit and effluent discharge application – as construction progressed the team assisted the client’s preparations for operating the site by preparing and submitting their applications to the Environmental Agency and the local utilities companies for the operational permit and discharge permit respectively.

Impact

Construction of the combined WTS and HWRC at Middlemore Lane is now complete, with the contractor, council, and consultant team working extremely well together to deliver a high-quality build on time and budget. The official handover event was held on 1st August to celebrate this milestone on the project, and the facility is due to be operational in the autumn of 2025. The team are now also commissioned to continue supporting the council with the redevelopment plans for the existing site at Fryers Road, with a revised feasibility study on layout options underway.