Showing consideration for a community devastated by flooding – Land and Water Services
Land and Water Services specialise in keeping Britain’s waterways navigable by dredging rivers, lakes, canals, pond and marinas and operating the largest fleet of excavators, dredging equipment and floating plant in the UK.
The River Parrett and Tone Dredging Works project was carried out in Burrowbridge – part of the area devastated by flooding last year – and was part of a strategic plan to reduce future flooding in the area for residents and businesses alike.
This included re-establishing an eight kilometre section of the Rivers Parrett and Tone to the 1960s profile (which was the last time that these rivers were substantially dredged), to facilitate flood alleviation once the area had been dredged.
Due to the devastation previously experienced by the local community, exceptional care and sensitivity was essential. The primary objective was to minimise the disturbance and disruption incurred by local residents, businesses, road users as well as the environment, whilst still completing the works.
Challenges faced included a devastated community, with some people who had lost everything and were living in temporary accommodation and farmers and businesses struggling to recover. As well as several local wildlife habitats based along the river which needed to be identified and managed during the works.
Land and Water Services Project Manager, Paul Dunleavey commented on the project:
‘Land and Water would like to thank CCS for their help with this project and would gladly recommend them to other companies, as a stepping stone to reaching the parts of the community that normally just pass by…Land and Water is committed to a policy of effectively managing environmental performance in order to minimise the impact of our business processes on the natural environment and the community at large. This commitment extends to all Group Business Partners, workplaces, employees and others affected by our operations.’
Here are some examples of best practice initiatives carried out by Land and Water Services, to comply with the Considerate Constructors Scheme:
- To ensure constant communication with residents an update was released daily on Facebook and Twitter, as well as regular letter drops to highlight any changes/progress that could directly affect them.
- To involve and encourage open communication with the local community school visits, open days, church coffee mornings and weekly ‘step in’ sessions were arranged on a number of occasions. Social media was also used to ensure that community views and worries were recognised and addressed, and to keep them up to date with progress and up-coming events.
- Site Managers attended coffee mornings arranged by the local Village Agents, to gain first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by local people who may not feel it appropriate to attend the ‘drop in’ sessions.
- Constant discussions with the local Parish Warden, Charles, and his wife, assisted the team to overcome numerous challenges that would have had an effect on the local community (i.e. remote school buses, refuse collection days, special parties by members of a nearby village). His help was essential in minimising disruption to the nearby villages.
- The individual needs of the community were carefully considered, for example, one resident was finally returning to their house after six months and was having a party. The team altered their breaks and temporarily opened the road closure, so that residents could access the house easily.
- A dedicated telephone line was provided, for questions aimed at Land and Water Services and manned by the site administrator to give regular updates about road closures or work progress and plans. The telephone number was clearly displayed on local sign boards.
- Pupils from a local primary school visited the site; they were given a photo opportunity inside the excavator and a demonstration by the workforce of other machinery on site.
- A community day was held on a weekend, inviting children and parents into the compound to have their photo taken inside a 35t long reach excavator. Tea, coffee, squash and homemade cakes were provided, as well as drawing competitions for the children to enter. An Environment Agency representative was present to respond to any community questions, as well as a ‘Water Vole’ show and tell.
- The site was informed that a young boy from the local community who loved diggers was unable to attend the community day. They arranged for a private visit for him and his mum so he could sit in one of the ‘diggers,’ (all work on site stopped and steps were used so that he could safely climb onto the excavator.) Afterwards he was presented with an Argos voucher and a scaled down version of one of the ‘diggers.’
- A relationship was forged with FLAG (Flooding on the Levels Action Group), who had a strong community voice. The site acknowledged the importance of listening and understanding their concerns, in order to build a good, honest relationship. This was successfully achieved and a personal ‘thank you’ was sent to Land and Water Services at the end of the project.
- Individuals from the local community were employed when possible, including 39 local farmers who were struggling with general finances due to crop reduction and losses following the flood. Local office staff, local banksmen and general labourers were also employed. Banksmen were trained internally to gain them Banksmen Accreditation.
- Environmental surveys were completed on an ongoing basis throughout the programme, with surveys undertaken section by section ahead of the current work site. What was encountered was nesting birds, water voles, snakes, otters, badgers and the not-so-famous hairy click beetle.
- Full time environmental consultants were employed to help identify habitats and wildlife around site, to ensure the works did not damage the local environment. Several dredging methods and constant vigilance from the whole team aided the efforts made by the site.
- Extreme pressures were attached to this project, with high profile VIP visits and constant scrutiny from local and national media. To overcome stress and long periods away from home, the working day on Fridays was reduced, to allow operatives to go home quicker. Also, three evening celebrations were organised to show the company’s appreciation for the efforts given.
- State of the art welfare units, PPE, numerous training sessions and professional support were provided to the workforce, to help relieve the pressures of the job in hand.
- A social evening was organised for the workforce after a particularly good site inspection had taken place. All Land and Water Directors were present and had organised a free hog roast, drinks, competitions, games as well as taxi rides home for those involved. This was to say thank you for supporting and taking a small company (relatively speaking) on a massive journey. People who helped from within the community (including all the local tractor drivers) and a number of local farmers were also invited.
