DRAINAGE & PLUMBING FIELDS OF BROWN
Developments on brownfield sites are going to be key, if the UK is to get anywhere near its housebuilding targets. However, working on such sites does require certain more specialist products as BMJ finds out.
T
he phrase ‘where there’s muck, there’s brass’ perfectly sums up the current housebuilding opportunity across the United Kingdom. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has published analysis that shows there are more than 26,000 hectares of brownfield land registered by councils available for development that could deliver more than 1 million desperately needed new homes. That’s according to Richard Eddy, below ground drainage product manager at Polypipe, who says that an estimated 70% of all new housing being built on brownfield sites means the demand for quick to install, easy to manage products that do not wholly rely on favourable ground conditions for a successful installation is going to rise. “This makes plastic-based systems an ideal below ground drainage solution for groundworkers and contractors,” he says. The term ‘brownfield’ can cover a wide range of sites but tends to mean disused and derelict land that was once utilised for industry. Before building begins, the assessment of brownfield sites will identify substances which remain in the ground from the former use of a site including metal elements, from arsenic and mercury through to copper and lead, acids and alkalis, and asbestos.
Eddy says that plastic-based systems are more adaptable and flexible than some other materials to the challenges that can be discovered when working on remediated land. Typically, plastic pipes for drains and sewers are manufactured from un-plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PVC-u), polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). These materials are
Seasonal Cheer
Recent analysis from the Builder Merchant Federation’s Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) shows merchant sales can suffer during periods of bad weather and delays on site.
However, despite ongoing political uncertainty placing pressure on the construction sector, there are some encouraging trends that offer opportunities for merchants:
Te Office for National Statistics indicated that construction output increased by 0.6% in Q3 2019, with private housing output up by 1.8%
Tere is an opportunity to focus on larger projects with work on private industrial schemes up by 7.2% Te pipeline of new housing projects is robust, with the House Builders Federation reporting that 380,000 planning permissions were granted in England during the first half of 2019. Tese permissions will lead to properties built in the next three to four years.
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net December 2019
naturally resistant to inorganic compounds and will not be affected by the presence of remaining metal and chemical elements in the soil. “Using plastic systems can also help to mitigate the prohibitive costs associated with building on brownfield sites, as over the whole life of the system, there is excellent resistance to chemicals, minimal corrosion and, when installed correctly, they require little maintenance as the pipes do not rust, pit or scale. “Importantly, many plastic products are fully adaptable and compatible with existing drainage and sewer systems that may be encountered, with systems designed with a wide range of easy-to-use fittings and ancillaries that can offer contractors practical
solutions to complex design challenges,” he continues.
Plastic-based foul and surface water drainage pipes are designed, says Eddy, to accommodate normal ground movement and are tried and tested in all conditions to meet required industry standards.
“Take our Polysewer as an example. This is a comprehensive range of PVC-u based structured pipes and fittings suitable for small diameter projects (110mm to 300mm pipes). At Polypipe, we have worked with standards
agencies and industry bodies to ensure all of the products in the range hold BS EN 13476 and WIS 4-35-01 certification and meet BSI Kitemark requirements. This means the range is ideally suited for use in projects where the drains need to be fully compliant with Sewers for Adoption 7th Edition guidelines.” For merchants who are looking to recommend the best systems available to their customers, Eddy says there is a vast resource of product technical data from manufacturers and organisations such as the British Plastics Federation Pipes Group.
“Increasingly, extreme weather is causing significant losses in productivity in the construction sector, with the potential for non-working days requiring careful management. Using easy to manage, adaptable light in weight plastic products that do not require heavy plant equipment removes one of the obstacles contractors face during the winter months,” he says. “As a final point, that will surely go without saying for merchants, but good site practice and the proper storage of building materials during the winter months is also important.” BMJ
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