Woolston Riverside, Southampton

This 12.5 hectare ship yard was formerly owned by Vosper Thornycroft plc and was purchased by South East of England Development Agency with a view to promoting the regeneration of the Woolston area.

The site is located along the eastern bank of the River Itchen estuary, to the east of Southampton town centre. The project will deliver a £300m mixed industrial and residential development on the site to provide local employment opportunities in the marine sector as well as both private and low cost housing.

The first phase of the redevelopment comprised the development of a masterplan and submissions to the local authority to establish interim planning policy guidance to supersede out-of-date policy in the existing local development plan.

CampbellReith provided technical and planning services during the pre site purchase due diligence phase and throughout the masterplanning works, including researching the site’s history, co-coordinating archaeological and ecological investigations and hydrological modelling, asbestos surveys, below ground drainage surveys, physical surveying of the existing buildings and river frontage structures and the external areas together with intrusive.  CampbellReith prepared a full Environmental Statement and Habitat Regulations Assessment in support of multiple planning applications.  Our services also included negotiations with the adjoining sewage works owners to achieve reductions in odour levels, extensive negotiations with the Environment Agency regarding the mitigation of impacts on the adjoining intertidal Special Protection Area and the river and ground water, and party wall negotiations with the adjoining public house.

The civil engineering contract worth nearly £13m, prepared by CampbellReith for SEEDA was completed in 2009.  This represented the culmination of five years work for CampbellReith integrating civil and marine engineering, environmental assessment.