Northwich Stabilisation Project Is A Winner

The Regional Monitor Excellence Awards 2007 presented Vale Royal Borough Council's Mines Team with an award in recognition of the innovative and technologically advanced techniques used to solve a major regeneration challenge in the busy town centre. The prestigious award was sponsored by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).

The project has seen the infilling of four redundant brine-filled salt mines beneath Northwich - the largest bulk mine infilling project undertaken in the UK.

The Mines Team has worked closely with contractors Wrekin Construction to ensure disruption to the busy market town was minimal. Environmental impact has also been minimised by constructing a purpose built computer controlled batching and pumping facility 2.5 kilometers from the town centre, together with a dedicated rail line.

The work has involved the pumping of grout through pipelines under a navigational river directly into the mines - removing the need for an estimated 186,000 vehicular movements to-and-from the town centre.

Lead Councillor for Area Working and Regeneration Cllr Herbert Manley says the project will open the way for major investment in the town. He said: "There has been a lack of investment in Northwich because the land hasn't been available due to stabilisation problems, however, this project has opened up some prime locations, which are generating a great deal of interest from investors looking at Northwich as a fantastic new opportunity for both retail and tourism".

The infilling is the first stage of the Northwich Vision project. The regeneration scheme is expected to attract private sector investment totalling £200 million at Baron's Quay as well as a further £100 million in the wider area. The site will deliver over 55,740 square meters of retail, leisure and office facilities, up to 300 new homes and create 2,000 new jobs.

Interesting facts:

A total of four mines have been filled under Northwich town centre.

• Neumanns mine is the smallest and is approximately half a football pitch in area and is equivalent volume to six Olympic size swimming pools
• Penny's Lane is larger - the volume of 12 Olympic size pools and just less than a football pitch in area
• Witton Bank is much bigger - the size of six-and-a-half football pitches and the volume of 100 pools
• Baron's Quay is the largest by far - it has the surface are of 14 football pitches and requires the filling equivalent to 200 Olympic size pools
• The infilling has involved the removal of one million tonnes of brine from beneath the town