Awards

Remediation industry shows innovation and resilience in recession

• Minister uses awards as platform to announce new, long-awaited policy
• Entries and numbers exceed expectations in difficult market

Despite the ongoing financial crisis and several companies in the sector being affected by buy-outs, the number of entries for the fifth Remediation Innovation Awards exceeded expectations.

Special guest speaker for the evening was Huw Irranca-Davies, Minister for the Natural and Marine Environment, Wildlife and Rural Affairs at DEFRA. The minister used the awards as an opportunity to announce the release of a long-awaited Soil Strategy for England, which Hilary Benn launched this week. He said that it would clear up issues that had "dogged the industry for many years".

"The Strategy will cover a range of sectors including agriculture, land management, planning and construction.  It will set out our ambitious vision to improve the sustainable management of soil and tackle degradation within 20 years," he said.     

"One commitment in the Strategy is that Defra will publish further guidance on when land should be considered to be "contaminated land".  This is an issue which has dogged the industry for many years and I hope the new guidance will bring greater clarity.  The work is being taken forward in consultation with members of the National Brownfield Forum, and we are aiming for publication by the new year."

Praise for industry

Huw Irranca Davies said: "Over the last decade the remediation sector has grown rapidly in response to Government targets and legislation - and fuelled by the development boom.  Some experts estimate the sector is now worth over £1 billion per year to the UK economy.  Many thousands of hectares of land have been regenerated, making a major contribution to dealing with land contamination.  It has reduced the pressure to build on greenfield land and helped to regenerate blighted communities."

In her welcome speech, awards host and Channel 4 TV presenter Naomi Cleaver said: "The remediation industry has proved to be remarkably resilient over the last twelve months.  The challenge has been to harness advancing science and technology while at the same time coming up with cost effective solutions."

Winners

The winners of the fifth Remediation Innovation Awards were announced during an awards ceremony at the Grange City Hotel in London on Tuesday, 22^nd September 2009.  The winners of the Remediation Innovation Awards 2009 are:

Best use of a single remediation treatment technique: Entec UK & Vertase FLI, for enhanced In-situ Anaerobic Biotreatment at an active production facility near Newcastle

Best use of a combination of remediation techniques: QDS Environmental Ltd & ERM, for the remediation of a former dye manufacturing facility

Best conceptual design: Campbell Reith Hill LLP, for the remediation of the former shipyard in Southampton

Most innovative remediation method: Ecologia Environmental Solutions, for the remediation assessment of an in-situ soil heating technology at a decommissioned petrol station, using in-situ radio frequency heating (ISRFH)

"It is good to see the fruits of development work over a number of years in a project with potential for widespread replication," said judge Clive Boyle of this entry.

Best project closure/verification process: Buro Happold

Most sustainable remediation project: Atkins, National Grid and Bilfinger Berger

"Atkins made a demonstrable effort in all possible aspects of sustainable development with this project," said Duncan Sanders of Davis Langdon.

Best communication/stakeholder engagement: City of Bradford MDC for the way it engaged the local Community which was crucial in turning round perception of site progress at Manywells quarry

Young Brownfield Professional 2009 (a new category): Christine Mardle of Celtic

The Awards

Organised by Brownfield Briefing and Newzeye, the Awards recognise best practice in remediation and the use of remediation technology across the UK. All entries were assessed by an independent panel of experts from the remediation industry, members of the CL:AIRE Technology and Research Group, and academia:

• Clive Boyle, Independent Consultant and Vice Chair, Environmental Industries Commission Contaminated Land Working Group
• Dr John Campbell, formerly Rio Tinto (retired)and member of CL:AIRE Technology and Research Group
• Phil Crowcroft, partner, Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and Chair of SiLC
• Professor Stephan Jefferis, Director, Environmental Geotechnics Ltd, and part-time Professor in Civil Engineering, University of Surrey
• Jonathan Atkinson, MISciEnv, Environmental Scientist, Environment Agency
• Duncan Sanders, Partner, Davis Langdon and Regional Director (SE), Land Quality Group
• Joanne Kwan, Project Manager, CIRIA
• Mike Summersgill, Associate Director of RSK and member of CL:AIRE Technology and Research Group, chaired the judging panel.

The Awards were held in conjunction with Brownfield Briefing's annual Contaminated Land and Remediation and Contaminated Land Risk Assessment 2009 conferences, which took place on the 22^nd and the 23^rd September 2009, respectively.

Next year's ceremony will be held in September, 2010. Calls for entries will go out in April 2010.

A full copy of Huw Irranca Davies' speech is available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/speeches/irranca-davies/hid090923.htm  

For further details about the Awards go to http://www.brownfieldawards.com/