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17.
October
2019.
Greener Grangetown project wins a third major award
The Greener Grangetown project, which covers twelve residential streets in Grangetown, has won a third major award, a British Construction Industry Award. The award, which was presented at a ceremony at Grosvenor House, London on Sunday (13 October) is one of the highest accolades for any UK construction project.

The sustainable drainage scheme uses over 100 planted areas, known as rain gardens, to catch, clean and divert over 40,000m² of rainwater directly into the River Taff, instead of pumping it eight kilometres through the Vale of Glamorgan, via a treatment station, and finally out to sea.

The partnership project, which was delivered by Cardiff Council, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales, Arup, ERH Communications and Civil Engineering Ltd, with additional financial support from the Landfill Communities Fund, was the only SuDs (Sustainable Urban Drainage) project recognised at the awards this year. It has already won a UK Water Industry Award (2018) for Engineering Project of the Year and the Institution of Civil Engineers Wales, Roy Edwards Award (2019) for Best Small Project.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Michael Michael, said: “The recognition this innovative project is getting is thoroughly deserved.

“Even if you don’t know the purpose of the scheme and the significant environmental benefits it brings, the 127 new trees and 1,700 square metres new green space have undoubtedly visually improved the streets of Grangetown and contributed to an increased sense of community spirit in the area – and the good news is that in time, as the plants and trees grow and spread, Grangetown is going to look even greener than it does now.”

In addition to improvements to the public realm, such as the introduction of a community orchard, new benches and cycle stands, the project also delivered the first ‘bicycle street’ in Wales – leading to nominations for a Healthy Streets Awards 2019 and a Cardiff Cycling Award for the biggest contribution to improving cycling in Cardiff.

Fergus O'Brien, Welsh Water's wastewater strategy manager said: "We're very pleased that this project has been recognised with this award.  Sustainable drainage plays a vital role in Welsh Water's long term approach to protecting our customers and improving the environment in spite of the growing pressures from climate change and urbanisation. It does this by enhancing the inherent resilience of our assets and allowing them to cope with the increasing demands we make on them.” 

"To meet our ambitious plans between now and 2050 we need to work in partnership with stakeholders to share knowledge and invest in areas where our priorities overlap.

“Greener Grangetown project is a great example of how we can work with forward thinking councils like Cardiff and we hope this will be the first of many such partnerships."

Martyn Evans, NRW Project Lead said: "We've been incredibly proud to be part of this project, some seven years since we first collaborated with Cardiff Council and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water on the initial study for this scheme.

“I really believe this project will create a legacy to show how green infrastructure can create healthy and resilient environments, and can bring economic and wellbeing benefits in towns and cities, like Cardiff, for generations to come."

Chris Ellis, Project Engineer at Arup, said: "I am delighted that Greener Grangetown has been recognised at these prestigious awards. Arup has been involved in the design of the project from the very beginning at feasibility and concept stages, right through to detailed design and construction support. It's rewarding to see the impact the finished scheme has had in transforming the area, while making Grangetown more resilient to the impacts of climate change."

Ken Evans, Civils Operations Director of ERH/Centregreat said: "ERH/Centregreat are very pleased to be the principal contractor on the Greener Grangetown SuDS Scheme. The construction works was an innovative retrofit project which was carried out in a densely populated urban area, which was a key challenge in its self. However by working in close collaboration with the scheme partners, designers and the local community, ERH/Centregreat was able to successfully deliver an award winning sustainable drainage scheme."