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Erskinefauld Park, Linwood
Home > Services > Environment and Planning > Environmental Protection > Contaminated Land
Erskinefauld Park site investigation works
Introduction
Renfrewshire Council has a duty to identify land which has been contaminated by its former owners and take appropriate action to make sure there is no significant risk to people’s health or the wider environment.
Over the last century Linwood has been home to a range of industries. Pollution legislation wasn’t as strict in the past and very little was done to clean up the land after these industries closed down.
Renfrewshire is no different to many other areas in Scotland and the UK which had a lot of heavy industry.
On some industrial sites materials like ash and soot from furnaces were used to level ground which was later used for housing. In other places old tanks and ironworks were simply buried and then built over.
Today when a developer wants to build on land affected by old industrial processes, they have to agree to clean it up before planning permission can be granted. This is standard practice in developments across the country.
In Linwood there are three sites where a tar-like substance is coming up to the surface. Very few records were left behind by the old industries. The Council is taking soil and water samples so that we can get a clear picture of what is under the ground and what, if anything, needs to be done about it.
Frequently asked questions about the Erskinefauld Park site
- What is happening?
- What will be involved with digging the boreholes and trial pits?
- Is there any danger from the drilling work?
- How long will the work take and will there be any disruption?
- What happens next?
- Who should I contact for more information?
What is happening?
The Council is investigating a black, tar-like substance that has been coming up to the surface near the Sports Centre, children’s play park and skatepark.
In the past, part of Linwood was home to the Sun Iron Foundry and later the Brediland Chemical Works. Planning and Building regulations weren’t as strict then and accurate records aren’t available on how thoroughly these sites were cleaned up when they shut. Some limited clean up work has been done in the area as part of recent building work.
The Council intends to find out what the tar-like substance is and where it’s coming from. Contractors working for Renfrewshire Council are digging approximately 36 boreholes (including service inspection pits) and six trial pits so that soil samples can be take and analysed. This will give the Council a clear picture of what’s in the soil and the groundwater (water which flows below the surface).
Concerns have also been raised about fire debris near the skatepark and samples were recently taken to try and find out if the material is coming from the ground or is the remains of what was burned on bonfires. The results suggested that the burnt material was plastic and not the tarry material which had been coming out of the ground.
The Council needs information from these investigations to decide what kind of clean up operations might be needed to deal with the tar-like substance and any other pollutants found.
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What will be involved with digging the boreholes and trial pits?
Experienced contractors will dig approximately 36 boreholes. Prior to drilling works each borehole location will will be scanned using a cable avoidance tool (CAT) and a ground penetrating radar unit (GPR). In addition, an inspection pit will be hand dug to 1.2 metres in depth to minimise the risk of damaging local services.These will be 10 cm (about 4 inches) across and 3-5 metres (9-15 feet) deep. About 10 of the boreholes will be fitted with standpipes so that the Council can continue to monitor gases in the soil and the condition of the groundwater. All the other boreholes will be filled in and turfed over immediately after the soil samples have been taken. We expect that digging the boreholes and filling them in again will take approximately ten working days.
As well as digging the boreholes, approximately six trial pits will be excavated using a mini digger (or similar) within the play park located off Erskinefauld Road. The trial pits will be excavated to no deeper than two metres below ground level. Following sampling, the excavated material will be immediately used to refill the pit in the reverse order of excavation and the surface reinstated with turf. Excavations will be left slightly mounded to take account of ground subsidence. At no time will open pits be left unattended.
Once the work on the boreholes has been done there will be three monitoring visits, spaced over six weeks, to take soil gas and groundwater samples from the standpipes. The samples that are gathered will be sent to an external laboratory for testing.
All the boreholes and trial pits are going to be dug on Council land. Below are maps showing the locations of the excavations:
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Is there any danger from the drilling and excavation work?
No. Health and safety is our chief concern and protecting you and your property is essential. The contractors are putting a full range of safety measure in place and these are listed below:
- a small, tracked drilling rig and mini digger is being used to minimise any disturbance
- all borehole and trial pit locations will be cleared of identified services by a specialist utility contractor before restarting site works
- the boreholes and trial pits will be fenced off with mobile barriers while the work is being done
- the boreholes will be filled in or fitted with a secure standpipe immediately after the samples have been taken. No holes or excavations will be left uncovered
- the work will be supervised full-time
- any turf that’s removed will be kept damp and put back after the drilling and trial pitting is finished
- if ground conditions make it necessary, wooden boards will be used to transport the drilling rig across grassed areas
- anything that gets spilled on paths or roads will be cleaned up immediately
- any waste will be collected up and taken away every day
- no equipment will be left on site overnight
- before any work starts, a full health and safety plan will be drawn up detailing all the steps involved and how they will be managed safely.
How long will the work take and will there be any disruption?
The drilling work will take about ten working days. After that there will be three visits to monitor the gases in the soil and the groundwater. These will be spaced over six weeks. All the drilling and monitoring should be finished within eight weeks of starting. All the work will be done between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The boreholes will be dug on council land and, as far as possible, on grassy areas. There may be some noise. Our contractors will do everything possible to keep this down to an acceptable level and to prevent it causing trouble on neighbouring homes and businesses.
Temporary barriers will be set up for safety reasons. If ground conditions make it necessary, wooden boards will be laid under the drilling rig as it moves across grassy areas to limit any damage. The ground immediately round the holes will be covered with plastic sheeting to protect it during the drilling.
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What happens next?
We’ll contact local residents with the results of the soil sampling when they’re available. The council intends to keep local residents fully informed about what is happening and how it might affect them.
Who should I contact for more information?
If you want more information about this work, please email the environmental protection team at e-prot.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk or phone the council contact centre on 0141 842 4411.
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