The Gallions 3B site forms part of the wider area associated with the Beckton Gas Works and had historically been occupied by a petroleum wharf and railway land. Remediation of the site and surrounding area was undertaken in 2006 to ensure it was suitable for a commercial end use. It had then remained undeveloped except for a small area of public amenity space at one end of the site. The proposed development is now to comprise residential apartments and public open space and as such, further assessment was required to confirm that the site was suitable for the new end uses.

CampbellReith completed an updated Desktop Study for the site, which included a review of all existing information associated with the historic remedial works and research into any potentially contaminative activities that may have occurred on site or in the surrounding area following remediation. We then designed, procured, and managed the ground investigation, which included soils sampling to inform human health risk assessment and waste classification, groundwater monitoring to confirm the quality of the water residing in the underlying aquifer, and ground gas and vapour monitoring to confirm the requirement for gas protection measures.

Generic risk assessment indicated a potential for vapour ingress into the proposed development, the source of which was residual hydrocarbons in the groundwater resting in the Made Ground. The incorporation of vapour protection measures within the proposed residential units was therefore considered to be necessary. CampbellReith recommended that additional vapour monitoring, along with vapour and groundwater sampling and testing, followed by completion of a detailed vapours risk assessment (vDQRA) should be undertaken to confirm that vapour protection measures were required. We subsequently arranged the additional monitoring and sampling works, and completed the vDQRA. This confirmed that vapour protection measures were not needed and could be excluded from the proposed construction.

By completing a vDQRA, we were able to prove that the installation of vapour protection measures was not required and as a result, saved the Client additional cost and time associated with the installation and verification of these measures.