Project Brief

The UK is short of suitable housing and approximately 3 million new houses are reported to be needed by 2030. As land for housing is reducing more brownfield sites are being built on, which means land that is often disused or derelict land, are now being developed. The land in question is usually no longer used, so re-using it reduces urban sprawl and may improve the local urban environment, as it may have become unsightly over time. Although brownfield sites are more expensive to build on, as the land often needs clearing, especially if it had previous industrial use, the land can be split into several developments on one site.

One such brownfield site is the Fairfield-Mabey Ltd site in Chepstow, where 345 homes are being built. The development is paying homage to its industrial heritage of shipbuilding, whilst boosting the prosperity of Chepstow with a riverside park, a link to the Wales Coastal Path, leisure facilities and offices.

The Fairfield Mabey’s factory ran from 1965 until 2009 and before that, the site was part of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company between 1924 and 1965.

Solution

As the housing development is next to the river, and to keep in with the nature of the site, Marshalls Civils & Drainage Redi-Rock walling, was installed to protect the homes from flooding by offering a natural stone-looking engineered solution.

Having used the Redi-Rock modular walling on many of their developments, Redrow Homes knew that the big block solution allows for more land-take. An important factor in any housing development where space is premium and with a 120-year design life, the whole life costs of Redi-Rock, flood protection properties and attractive finish, make Redi-Rock an ideal choice for housing developers, installers and homeowners.

Using the modular walling to protect from floodwater and give a low-maintenance landscaped finish, will mean that the Chepstow housing development will be secure whilst still looking great in 5, 10, 50 and 100 years.