28 July 2014

Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) President Geoff French has visited the Cleaner Seas for Sussex scheme at Peacehaven.

The £300 million Southern Water scheme, in which Costain and its 4Delivery partners MWH and Veolia Water were the principal contractors, ensures that the 95 million litres of wastewater produced each day by people in the Brighton and Hove catchment is treated to EU standards.

The ICE President is the latest visitor to the site that, since construction started in July 2009, has welcomed more than 3000 visitors. Accompanied by local ICE members and business leaders, he saw innovative features such the wastewater treatment works’ green roof, which is one of the largest in Europe. Equivalent in size to three football pitches, it is planted with downland grasses to help it blend into the surrounding landscape. The scheme also included 11km of new sewer tunnel, two pumping stations and a 2.5km long sea outfall.

Said Geoff: “I can see why Southern Water’s Cleaner Seas for Sussex project has picked up so many awards – including the 2013 ICE Brassey Award for the best civil engineering project in Kent and East Sussex.
 
“The tour of the site made clear what can be achieved when function and design come together. The local community’s design brief – ‘we don’t want to see you and we don’t want to smell you’ – has been delivered both in terms of the plant processes and by blending with the landscape with one of the largest green roof of its kind in Europe. The scale of the plant and the environmental benefits are truly impressive.
 
“Even more impressive was the way the project team engaged with the local community and brought them along with project. A key theme for my year as ICE President is the need for civil engineers to speak clearly to those outside our profession, avoiding jargon and shorthand. The success at Peacehaven shows it can be done. My thanks go to the team for showing me around and sharing their experiences.”

 

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