This World Water Week, Winvic Construction Ltd is celebrating an industry-first in innovative water pollution prevention at SEGRO Park Coventry, which Winvic is proud to be delivering on behalf of valued client SEGRO.
Winvic was appointed in 2023 to support SEGRO transform a contaminated brownfield site into a thriving 215-acre site that provides 3.7 million sq ft of industrial and logistics space, yielding multiple commercial benefits to the local economy – including circa of 7,800 new jobs.
SEGRO Park Coventry is a leading example of a development project with forward-thinking and innovative construction practices, showcasing a circular economy approach to material reuse. The site previously owned by Severn Trent Water comprised of five licenced and unlicensed landfills, a wastewater treatment plant with 20 sewage lagoons and a WW2 airbase. The site consisted of approximately 3.7 million m³ of landfill waste, man-made materials (e.g. rock, bricks, concrete) and approximately 600,000 m³ of residual sewage, which required on-site treatment and reuse of 1.9 million m³ of soils.
As part of Winvic’s continued commitment to innovation in sustainable construction, the industry first achievement took place in November 2024 when Winvic installed the Pollution Containment Valve, designed to monitor water quality and prevent pollution of aquatic water systems. The purpose application of this technology is to reduce the potential for water pollution incidents as an industry first within the UK construction sector.
Winvic decided to proactively seek innovative solutions to reduce these risks at the final point of discharge. The use of the Pollution Containment Valve technology was considered as a ‘last line of control’ to provide a containment solution in the event that other water quality mitigation controls that were adopted failed, e.g., use of cut-off ditches; use of SiltMats (biodegradable mats that capture and prevent up to 40kg of sediment resuspension); gravel traps; sustainable drainage lagoons.
Installed at a headwall discharging water from a sustainable drainage lagoon, this pollution control system works by automatically closing a penstock valve when installed pH and/or turbidity sensors detect exceedances in specified water quality limits.
With no access to a renewable grid connection due to the remote location of the headwall that discharges into nearby watercourses, Winvic turned to an off-grid solution, installing two 100W solar panels to power the penstock valve and water quality monitoring systems. This clean energy setup enables pH and turbidity sampling to be carried out sustainably, supporting regulatory compliance and Winvic’s commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuel powered systems.
This innovation forms part of SEGRO Park Coventry’s wider vision, which includes biodiversity-enhancing and community-benefitting features:
- Creation of a community park, which extends over 100 hectares (almost half of the overall total site area), delivering lasting green space and recreational areas.
- 7.5 km formation of new public foot, cycle and bridle ways.
- Creation of 11 SUDS lagoons totalling approximately 150,000 m2, providing valuable habitats for invertebrates, plants, amphibians, fish and bird life, new wetland habitats.
- 4,341 trees planted, including a mix of 21 different species.
- 52 Bird boxes, 15 owl boxes and 67 bat boxes
- 22 Hibernacula features, 5 veteran tree monoliths, 1 dead wood distribution created from repurposed wood
- 10 Grass snake egg laying heaps, 36 newt ponds, 4 artificial otter holts and 9 artificial badger setts
- Lighting scheme that was sensitive to ecological receptors implemented on site, to restrict lighting around boundary edges to minimise impact on nocturnal wildlife.
Wildlife kerbs installed to provide a safe route around road drainage gullies for amphibians. Winvic continues to work with its supply chain to promote wider adoption of pollution containment technology across the industry, enabling construction projects to become increasingly sustainable and support a green built environment!
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