Appointments & News


Redditch Borough Council – Improving lives through subsidence maintenance and repair


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ituated in the West Midlands, south of Birmingham, Redditch Borough Council’s Property Services manages a portfolio of


over 6,000 properties. Many of the properties in Redditch were built in the 1970s during a period of rapid growth, numerous sites were developed, and trees and vegetation planted. Today, a small proportion of those properties


are suffering from subsidence. A combination of factors has caused structural movement, impacting some homes. Te properties constructed in the 1970s generally had shallower foundations than today’s building standards require, meaning that any fluctuation in soil composition has a greater impact on the structure. Te soil in Redditch contains a significant amount of clay, which tends to shrink during dry periods due to moisture loss and swell in wet periods. To compound the issue, many trees were planted close to the houses. While tree planting has many benefits, the proximity of trees to the properties has led to tree roots penetrating the clay soils beneath the foundations, contributing to subsidence issues in the area. Redditch Borough Council has a number of


properties affected by subsidence, and in the future climate change may well see more properties impacted. Te structural movement presented a difficult challenge: Te Council needed to address all the subsidence issues while maintaining a tenant-first mindset. Te traditional method of dealing with subsidence is underpinning, which usually requires relocating tenants during the


32 | HMMJune/July 2024 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk HMM06_Geobear_FP ADV.indd 1 Redditch’s Interim Capital Programmes Contract


Manager, Penny Bevington, was fully aware of the disruption that any underpinning scheme would have on the lives of Te Council’s tenants and sought a better solution: “At Redditch, we put our tenants first, the prospect of rehoming many of our tenants to undertake the work wasn’t a feasible


work, additionally requiring extensive excavation of existing soils, causing significant disruption to the wider community due to the need for heavy construction equipment.


solution. If anything, it was viewed as a last resort.” Working with her team, Penny and her senior


surveyors approached ground engineering contractor Geobear, who provide a non-disruptive method to deal with subsidence, allowing tenants to remain in their homes, “Tis modern alternative to underpinning, would ensure the quality of our tenants’ lives was not impacted, Geobear.’s solution could be mobilised quickly and, in most cases, a home can be repaired within a few days.” Craig Dean, Geobears UK Residential Sales


Director, added they are seeing more traction within the social housing sector, emphasising tenant satisfaction: “Our solution for subsidence is such that tenants are rarely impacted by our presence. We simply target the soil area causing the subsidence by drilling through the foundations, and injecting an expansive geopolymer which stabilises the property. In the case of Redditch, we can mobilise and deliver a solution for a handful of properties within weeks from instruction.” With the first batch of works now completed in


Redditch, there has been seamless collaboration between the parties to ensure tenants feel no inconvenience Penny Bevington added: “We’ve not had any issues from the tenants. In fact, they are generally pleased that we’ve committed to resolving the subsidence at their homes. We’re delighted to have this partnership with Geobear and are proud to be putting the lives of our tenants first.”


0800 066 4262 www.geobear.co.uk 28/06/2024 08:51


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