The South East Thatcham Flood Alleviation Scheme Blog
The South East Thatcham Flood Alleviation Scheme is a project to build several surface water retaining earth embankments at Dunstan Green Park, public open space near Kennet School, and carry re-profiling of the Harts Hill Road and Francis Baily Primary School and Kennet School playing field. The scheme aims to reduce surface water flood risk to 62 properties at the south east of Thatcham.
We'll upload news and weekly updates here as the scheme progresses.
For any questions, comments or further information, get in touch with the Highways Projects Team.
South East Thatcham FAS - Week 42 and 43
Written on: 24-1-2020
Floral Way Steel pins have been installed around the edge of the reinforced grass spillway to secure it in place until the grass has had time to fully establish.
| |||||
Dunston Green Park As part of the design of the swale off Harts Hill Road the carriageway is being realigned in order to divert surface water off the road and into the new swale. The contractor has dug out the old road surface and has begun installing kerbs to the new alignment.
| |||||
Siege Cross The contractor has not been able to progress the works at Siege Cross Park due to the extremely wet ground conditions. We now estimate the works will not be completed until the end of March.
|
South East Thatcham FAS - Week 38 and 39
Written on: 15-1-2020
The unusually wet weather in November and December has caused long delays to the completion of the works. The schemes currently under construction at Floral Way, Siege Cross and Dunston Green all involve the movement and placement of large volumes of earth and clay which the prolonged and heavy rainfall has made extremely wet and unworkable. The works were programmed to be completed by Christmas but due to the weather we are unlikely to be finished before the end of February as the ground will take some time to dry out before we can start work again. Floral Way The excavation of surplus material from Floral Way site is on-going. Steel reinforcing bars are being installed for a baffle wall to the outlet structure located on the south side of Floral Way. This wall will reduce the velocity of water leaving the reservoir during a heavy storm event. Gabion mattresses have been laid at the toe of the outlet structure to prevent water eroding the bed and banks of the downstream watercourse
| |||||
Dunston Green Park The contractor completed lowering a section of an existing footpath at the northern end of the park which falls within the new swale. There is a second swale which is to be situated in Marsh Meadows. A section of Harts Hill Road (North) has been realigned to divert the surface water off the road into the new swale.
| |||||
Siege Cross
|
_regraded_I_1.jpg "wk38-39 Dunstan Green - Harts Hill Road (North) regraded")
_regraded.jpg "wk38-39 Dunstan Green - Harts Hill Road (North) regraded")
South East Thatcham FAS - Week 36 and 37
Written on: 18-12-2019
Floral Way The excavation of surplus material from Floral Way is on-going. The contractor has now overlaid the spillway with a pre-grown turf mattress which provides immediate soil stabilisation upon laying. The excavation behind the recently constructed outlet structure has been partly backfilled and compacted. The backfill will be continue once the other works around the structure is completed.
| ||||||||||||||
Dunston Green Park A section of an existing footpath at the northern end of the park has been lowered where it crosses a proposed swale. The contractor has completed the excavations and has started to reinstate the path.
| ||||||||||||||
Siege Cross Due to the continuous wet weather the construction of the bund at the northern end of the park has been delayed. However, the contractor has been able to continue the removal of surplus material from the site. A new land drainage pipe and catchpit, and an inlet structure have also been installed at the northern end of the park.
|
South East Thatcham FAS - Week 35
Written on: 9-12-2019
Floral Way The contractor is continuing to excavate surplus material from Floral Way. The walls to the reinforced concrete outlet structure on the oppose side of Floral Way have been completed.
| ||||||||
Dunston Green Park The contractor has completed stripping the topsoil at the northern end of the park ready to construct another earth bund, which will hold back flood water.
| ||||||||
Siege Cross The bunds in the north end of the park are being formed and precast concrete edging blocks laid along the crest of the bunds to protect them in the future. The contractor has begun constructing new footpaths on the east side of the park which join the new footpath running east-west, which is also under construction.
|
South East Thatcham FAS - Weeks 33 and 34
Written on: 26-11-2019
Floral Way The contractor has begun laying the erosion control mattress at the top of the spillway which is anchored into the trench. Please refer to the week 31 and 32 blog for more information on the spillway. Across the road from the main site, the foundation for the reinforced concrete outlet structure has now been laid and the assembly of reinforcement bars for the new structure is on-going.
| ||||||||||
Dunston Green Park The contractor has begun soil stripping at the northern end of the park. Here, a swale and an adjoining bund will be constructed.
| ||||||||||
Siege Cross The bund at the north end of the site are nearing completion and has been capped with flood defence markers. The contractor has also began constructing a new footpath which will replace a section of the existing east-west footpath.
|
