Minutes:
Executive’s approval was sought to award a contract to P&D Environmental following a procurement exercise for delivering the scope of works required for flood mitigation works at Pleasley Vale Business Park.
Following storm Babet in 2023, significant flooding had occurred to the ground floor of Mill 1 due to the overflow from the millpond, and this had damaged the property of both
the landlord and tenants. Damage was also caused to the electricity substation. Within Mill 3, the storm water had risen and broken through floor slabs rendering them unsafe and therefore unusable.
Beaumont Rivers, an environmental restoration company who specialise in nature recovery and water management techniques, has been appointed to oversee a flood mitigation and water management project and had identified opportunities to mitigate flood risk on site and reinstate some of the original drainage networks.
The full extent of the dam wall (146m) had been cleared by the Council’s grounds maintenance team and this had enabled a more detailed assessment of the extent of works required by the reservoirs engineer and Beaumont Rivers. A scope of works had been agreed (attached at Appendix 1 to the report) which Beaumont Rivers would oversee.
A procurement exercise for the scope of works for phase 1 of the flood mitigation works had been completed and having reviewed the available risk management paperwork (method statements, quote contents and examples) and taking into consideration the budgetary pressures facing the Council, Beaumont Rivers had recommended P&D Environmental as the preferred tenderer, offering the best value for money.
Due to the urgent need to undertake the works, the Chair of Local Growth Scrutiny Committee had agreed that this should be treated as a matter of urgency and not be subject to the Scrutiny call-in process.
Moved by Councillor John Ritchie and seconded by Councillor Duncan McGregor
RESOLVED that: 1) P&D Environmental be appointed to complete flood remedial works at Pleasley Vale Business Park,
2) the decision is reasonable in all the circumstances and should be treated as a matter of urgency.
Reasons for Recommendation
Beaumont Rivers had evaluated the two submissions received and undertaken the due diligence, and based on the findings of the evaluation had recommend P&D Environmental as the preferred supplier. The total budget for the works for phase 1 would be £497,000. P&D Environmental could mobilise and start work on site immediately.
Effectively managing flood risk and protecting the site from future extreme weather events was of paramount importance if the site were to continue operations. It was also important to establish a baseline of flood modelling to inform any future development proposals for the wider site, as any planning application would require detailed flood risk assessments to be undertaken as part of any application.
Alternative Options and Reasons for Rejection
An alternative option was only to complete works funded by the full and final settlement to reinstate following Storm Babet and not to invest in these preventative works. This option had been rejected due to the adverse impact of a flood event on the Mills, the Landlord, and its tenants.
Having previously declared her interest in the following item of business, Councillor Anne Clarke left the meeting.