| A joint partnership between Wavin Plastics, Yorkshire Water and Miller Homes has resulted in the first UK trial of non-entry inspection chambers in adoptable sewers on a new development in the Leeds area. The site, Allerton Bywater Millennium Village, which is one of seven English Partnership Millennium Communities, has been designed according to Planning Policy Guidance 3 (PPG3) principles. This has meant a high housing density has been achieved, which has in turn resulted in the reduction of physical space for drainage. Due to these factors, Yorkshire Water agreed a trial of non-entry inspection chambers for use in demarcation and main sewers in adoptable situations. “Yorkshire Water has taken a very bold step in embracing this idea of using non-entry inspection chambers on adoptable main sewers,” commented Lynton Barstow, Wavin Plastics. “This is a major breakthrough and is a principle that to date has not been considered by any other water authority. By publicising Allerton Bywater, we hope that more water companies will consider the use of non-entry inspection chambers on adoptable sewers in the future.” Trevor Birch, new development manager, Yorkshire Water, commented: “We had actually been considering the use of smaller, non man entry, plastic inspection chambers for some time so it was excellent timing when we were approached to take part in this trial. The high density housing planned for Allerton By water means that space is at a premium and therefore the site provided us with a good opportunity to look at the method and to combine the use of plastic pipes and inspection chambers.” “We've been in discussions with Millers and Wavin about the use of an UltraRib sewerage system since March 2005. Over the length of the trial we'll be looking at factors such as the ease and speed of installation, suitability for ongoing maintenance and the need for reduced heavy lifting,” continued Trevor. “If everything goes to plan, it could prove to be a very useful trial, giving us the information that we need to look into the future use of this method in Yorkshire. Everyone's working really well together and we're looking forward to getting to the stage where we can evaluate how the inspection chambers and pipes are functioning. The results will be good not only for Yorkshire Water but for the water industry as a whole.” Carolyn Rushbrook, sales and marketing director of Miller Homes, Yorkshire Region, commented: “We are delighted to be pioneering these non-entry inspection chambers at Allerton Bywater. The ground-breaking health and safety implications for those working on site make them the perfect choice for a development as innovative as Allerton Bywater Millennium Village." The installation advantages and health and safety benefits associated with Wavin Plastics’ OSMA non-entry inspection chambers were particularly important to Hewlett Civil Engineering, the site’s contractors. Jim Roberts, Hewlett site manager, commented: “The speed that this system can be installed has given some great savings to programme time and cost. In fact 95% of the first phase of ground works at Allerton Bywater has been completed ahead of schedule. And the fact that we are handling material which is so light in weight in comparison to the conventional clay or concrete drainage systems is the biggest plus for us with regard to safety.” The Allerton Bywater Millennium Community is intended to rejuvenate and expand the former mining village with new housing, commercial and community space. The site will eventually provide 520 homes and 25,000 sq m of commercial and community space and Miller Homes is expecting to finish the first properties of phase one in mid 2006. |