12 February 2013

The Costain joint venture team (4Delivery) behind Southern Water’s Cleaner Seas for Sussex Peacehaven Wastewater Treatment Works has achieved a remarkable performance in the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS).

A monitor’s report in late January gave the site, which is hugely improving the quality of wastewater treatment from the Brighton and Hove catchment area, a rating of 47 out of 50.

Three of the categories measured – ‘Enhancing the site’s appearance’, ‘Protecting the environment’ and ‘Securing everyone’s safety’ – were marked as 9/10, or ‘exceptional’, while ‘Respecting the community’ and ‘Caring for the workforce’ scored a full 10.

This latter score is only awarded where performance is deemed ‘Innovative’ and setting new standards that can be incorporated into the CCS for future projects.

In the case of ‘Respecting the community’, that has entailed huge efforts over the years to keep  local residents on-side for what had been regarded for many years before construction got underway as a controversial project.

There have been 2,000 site visitors over the construction phase and two educational videos have been made for local residents, one showing the progress of wastewater from the time someone flushes their toilet to the moment when the treated wastewater is released to sea, the other explaining the tunnelling required to construct the long sea outfall.

The team’s achievement is all the more impressive given changes in the CCS scoring system, which makes gaining a high mark even more challenging, said Senior Project Manager, Graham Sugrue. “It’s a lot more difficult now. It’s based on innovation and going the extra mile; it’s about doing more than the norm.  Everyone has put in a huge effort; the CCS score reflects this.”

The project is nearing completion, with commissioning well underway.

Ends