What was the Client Requirement?
Ward & Burke instructed Apogee for a project near Sheffield, working on behalf of Yorkshire Water to carry out emergency works on a sewage pumping station for an existing sewage treatment plant in Darfield. As this project involves sewerage assets it is considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. For this project there was not a need to prepare a DCO but to assist in conflict analysis and resolution, information on land ownership was required as well as a thorough understanding of buried services present in the area.
What was the Apogee Solution?
Apogee was able to provide a bespoke service for the client in this case, including a Full Utility Search Report and Fastview Report for the site, as well as land registry data in csv format and copies of all relevant titles. In addition to this, Apogee were able to add layers to the Fastview showing the titles and their tenure type, which enabled much easier analysis of the land conflicts for the project. This was all delivered quite quickly, with first delivery of information 5 Working Days after ordering and all data delivered within 10 Working Days.
What was the result of the report?
Usually large projects like this which cover significant distances have a variety of major utilities which could be affected by the works and this site was no exception. All of the “5 Main” Utilities – Gas, Electricity, Water, Sewer and BT had assets throughout the project area which were likely to be affected by the works (particularly as they are works on sewer assets, which tend to be laid quite deep). In addition to these, there were a few other affected services – namely Zayo Group and Virgin Media telecoms cables and an Exolum oil pipeline.
On top of this utility information, Apogee collated and integrated Land Registry (LR) Information on all relevant titles to the project together with the layered PDF Fastview, providing a full dataset showing the utilities and land ownership status together for quicker and more reliable analysis. This data included the Title itself and tabulated records of the Tenure, proprietor and their contact information, the presence and condition of any leases and charges, and where possible the price last paid for the title. We also provided a conflict matrix that analysed the conflict between the scheme, the land ownership and the presence of existing utility plant.
Why was the client delighted?
The timescales for this project were extremely demanding especially due to the complexity of integrating the utility and land registry data together, but we managed to deliver on time as the data was for emergency works, which delighted our client. The data integration went very well; as you can see from the attached images the layered PDF makes it very clear and quick to assess multiple titles at once and the tabulated data supplemented this with more information. The Client had not received a dataset like this before and was impressed with the result.
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About the client:
Ward & Burke is an Engineering organisation formed in 2001 which delivers and operates infrastructure, primarily sanitary services infrastructure, on a Turnkey Design, Build and Operate basis. The company has over 2 decades of experience working on infrastructure projects of all kinds and is committed to staying at the forefront of the industry for net-zero standards and integrating green technology into their operations. Like Apogee, Ward & Burke places a premium on its people and invests heavily in professional development and training to supplement the company’s high standards of certification.
Who else would buy this?
Our search and consultancy reports are ideal for Solicitors, Clients and Project Managers, Developers, Local Authorities Consultants, Architects, Design & Build Contractors, Highways Scheme promoters and Surveyors. Anyone involved with a residential or commercial development who would benefit from understanding the risks and costs which come from utilities would be well placed to talk to us. Even if you are not the source of funds for the development and costs savings are of secondary importance to you, we can help you avoid other inconveniences such as delays and reduce the risk of any accidents or strikes of existing plant, as well as improve due diligence and help you achieve compliance under the relevant guidelines and regulations, namely PAS128 and HSG47. We have decades of experience in managing such conflicts across our capable team, a member of whom was on the PAS128 steering committee and who was personally involved in the drafting of PAS128 Quality Level D.
The Land Registry information is particularly useful for those working around the legal aspects of development, assisting in managing any conflicts around the land and relevant rights and enabling quicker and more convenient communication with relevant landowners. It is also extremely useful for anyone working closely with statutory undertakers as in this case, or for anyone who is preparing for a DCO application or working on a project which might be eligible for a DCO to help with issues such as wayleave access or even compulsory purchase options.
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