New football pitches proposed for former colliery site
Added: 28th August 2011.
With an established record for delivering a string of quality sports pitch construction and drainage projects for Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Turfdry has commenced another major design and construction project, this time at the former Silverdale colliery in Staffordshire.
The proposed new grass football pitches form part of a major redevelopment programme that includes a large housing development and a country park.
The location of the new pitches is directly above two mineshafts that were capped with concrete slabs following the colliery’s closure in 1998. A 2.5 metre thickness of engineered clay was then put over the site as part of the initial site restoration, at a time when the end use of the site was uncertain.
The site is in a 'bowl' that is prone to collecting surface water run-off from surrounding land, and the addition of of the clay layer has exacerbated the potential for waterlogging (see photo). The success of this project will therefore depend heavily on the quality and effectiveness of the drainage scheme, which is why Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council has chosen the Turfdry Drainage System.
Turfdry’s proposals for Silverdale consist of the following:
- Initial site clearance and de-watering
- Cut and fill operation to achieve a suitable cross-fall over the pitch plateau
- Importation of spreading of suitable subsoil
- Importation and laser-grading of topsoil
- Installation of Turfdry Drainage System with Hydraway Sportsdrain at two metre centres
- Cultivation and seeding works
- Maintenance until proposed handover in April 2012
Come back to www.turfdry.com in the coming months to see how this project progresses.