RYEBANK
a vibrant and sustainable community for South Manchester
Important Update
Ryebank should not be accessed by the general public at any time.
There have been a number of incidents of inappropriate behaviour towards the contractors who are trying to do their work safely and carefully.
Any threats or incidents of verbal abuse, harassment or intimidation will be taken be taken seriously. If this obstructive behaviour continues, the landowners will be left with no option to take legal action to close the site.
If you have any questions you can contact the project team by phone or email.
Document Library
All documents and e-bulletins issued will be available here:
The Surveys
An initial round of consultation was held in early 2023 and we want to thank everyone that participated. More than a thousand pieces of feedback were received and since then, the project team has been reviewing the comments and exploring how we can take these into consideration as we progress.
One of the key takeaways was a need to address concerns about the age and extent of the surveys that were being used to inform our plans.
We are now in the process of undertaking new and more extensive surveys to ensure we have an accurate understanding of the ground to aid our decision making and progress the revised masterplan.
The types of survey to be conducted include:
- Window Sampling: this assesses the soil properties in various layers and it is undertaken by driving small diameter steel tubes into the soil.
- Cable Percussive: this allows material, groundwater and ground gas sampling by drilling small boreholes into the ground.
- Dynamic Core Penetrometer (DCPs): this assesses the strength and characteristics of the soil and is undertaken by dropping a weight onto a steel rod and measuring the resistance at various depths – usually up to 6m deep.
- Trial Pits: this is a small pit dug by an excavator which allows detailed information on the subsurface conditions to be established, looking at soil and rock types, depth to groundwater and presence of contaminants.
The activity will vary day to day whilst different surveys and monitoring is completed. There will be some drilling and hammering noises, as well as the sound of an engine and it may cause some low-level vibrations. However as most of the survey work will take place away from the closest buildings, there will be minimal impact on surrounding properties.
Areas of the site will be fenced off where survey work is being undertaken. Please note that as landowners of Ryebank, the University’s position is that the site should not be accessed by the general public at any time, and this remains in place during the completion of these works.
In the initial weeks there may be some disruption on the roads around the southern access point (Ryebank Road and Longford Road). This will only ever be temporary as materials and machinery are delivered to and/or removed from site, however we apologise in advance for any inconveniece this may cause.
Further information about the works can be found in the FAQs in the document library and you can still visit the page with the old consultation materials here.
Details on Health & Safety
Risk from Contaminated Materials
From previous surveys, we are aware of contaminated materials under the ground. Risks have been assessed for both the operators on site and the public close to the site and all appropriate mitigation measures required will be in place which include:
- Contractors working on site will be in appropriate PPE
- Ongoing asbestos boundary air monitoring
- The utilisation of gas detectors for the monitoring of any release of gas
- The use of an enclosed and lockable skip on site to safely dispose of any contaminated materials brought to the surface. The skip will be removed from site at the end of the works by a registered waste carrier using a suitable and licensed vehicle
- Cleaning facilities to wash excess materials off vehicles before they leave site and join the public highway, to minimise the transfer of any contaminated materials
- A UXO specialist will be on site to clear any exploratory hole locations.
Risk assessments have noted that the site is currently damp due to the recent levels of rain. As such it is not anticipated that dust will be generated by the drilling activity. However, that may change so if dust is generated, the teams working on site will pause activity to damp down the area to prevent any spread of dust from the site.
Manchester Metropolitan University’s environmental risk management company will also be in attendance at various points during the works to check on any contaminated materials which might be being brought to the surface. They will also carry out a full survey of the entire site once the works have concluded to comb for any surface level materials, and if anything is found, they will remove and dispose of it safely using a registered waste carrier using a suitable and licenced vehicle.
The Environmental Protection Officer from Manchester City Council has confirmed that following a full review of the risk assessments and mitigation measures put in place, the risks from asbestos on this site during the investigation works are deemed to be low and they are happy for the works to proceed. It has also been confirmed that no licences nor permits are required for these works. This confirmation is in the Document Library above and linked here.
Register FOr Updates
CONTACT
If you would like to get in touch with the project team to ask any questions, you can:
- Phone us on: 0333 358 0502 (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5.30pm)
- Email us at: ryebankchorlton@havingyoursay.co.uk
- Write to us at: Ryebank c/o Lexington, Queens House, Queens Street, M2 5HT