Blindwells

Published 25th August 2022

The Blindwells project will deliver 1600 new homes just north of Tranent in East Lothian. In addition, the new neighbourhood will feature a new school campus along with playing fields, commercial units and business premises, a new ‘Park & Ride’ scheme and a new garden network of paths and outdoor recreation areas for the local community to enjoy.

Historic underground coal mining has left a legacy of old workings on the site. More recently, major open cast mining activities have taken place there up until 1998 when restoration of the open cast areas was completed.

Waterman was appointed to be Principal Designers for this new town on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Our team also completed a desk-based Shallow Mining Assessment, which consisted of a review of all available information from historical ground investigations. This information was published by The Coal Authority and included abandonment plans, large scale Environmental Geology Maps, mining memoirs and pertinent information from the former open cast operations. This desk-based assessment was produced using a complex and conceptional 3D ground model.

This 3D model was used to inform an appropriate scope of a Mining Stability (Intrusive) Investigation, and this then supported the scheme’s risk assessments and established the baseline for the extensive site-wide remediation and monitoring. On completion of the Mining Stability Investigation, our specialists prepared a Geotechnical Appraisal of the mining risk, which underpinned the detailed design of remedial works.

Client: Hargreaves Services plc
Architect: EMA Architects

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