Case Studies > Greater Bargoed Community Regeneration

The scheme objective was to provide improved transportation links between the communities of Bargoed, Aberbargoed and Gilfach and to reduce traffic volumes on the A469 and congestion to the centres of these settlements. The scheme is located in the Rhymney Valley and follows the valley floor between Bargoed and Gilfach to the west and Aberbargoed to the east. The site is a former colliery. The colliery buildings were demolished in the mid 1990’s, in conjunction with a land reclamation scheme which reshaped the former colliery waste tips. These have now been further shaped to accommodate the footprint of the proposed highway, with plateaus constructed for future retail and industrial development.

The scheme involved the construction of approximately 3.5km of single carriageway highway and associated structures. This involved the construction of four new interchanges to tie into the existing road network, three bridges to span the River Rhymney and Rhymney Valley Railway, a new rail tunnel at the northern end of the site and several retaining structures to enable the construction of further plateaus for retail and industrial development. The scheme interfaces with residential areas at five locations, including a school.

Gregory Environmental became involved with the project with the principal contractor ‘Hochtief Griffiths JV’ during the successful tender stage, we then took the project through the discharge of planning conditions, the consenting process and then onto site. We developed the Environmental Management System and then applied this throughout the course of the project. Works carried out were:

- Environmental aspect identification
- EMS development
- Consenting
- Section 61, Flood Defence, Waste Management, Discharge and Abstraction Consents.
- Design and implementation of a scheme for the in-situ encapsulation of Japanese Knotweed, including the consenting process with the EA
- Ecological supervision
- Liaison with statutory bodies and third parties including presentations on the scheme to interested parties.
- Training including toolbox talks and formal training sessions
- Noise, Vibration, Dust and Water Quality Monitoring.
- Design and construction of water quality treatment systems
- Site inspection
- Internal auditing

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