RYEBANK

update on Site investigations

Update

The site investigation survey works are now complete.  

Manchester Metropolitan University’s environmental management company and grounds teams will be visiting the site intermittently over these weeks as part of their regular checks. A full sweep of the site will be conducted once the monitoring is complete. 

Please note that as landowners, the University’s position is that the site should not be accessed by the general public at any time. 

If you have any questions you can contact the project team by phone or email via the contact details at the bottom of the page.

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 which is why further works had to be undertaken. 

The invasive stage of the site investigations works were completed between Monday 1 July and Friday 25 July 2024.

The surveys conducted included:  

  • 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. 
 

Most of the materials and equipment has been removed from site. However, there is ongoing monitoring occurring over the next few weeks so members of the public may see individuals attending the site take readings at the monitoring wells.

Whilst there were a few isolated incidents which have been reported to the relevant authorities, overall we appreciate the community’s patience whilst the works were underway. 

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 following the completion of these works. 

Further information about the works can be found in the FAQs in the document library. 

What happens next

Now the monitoring has concluded, the environmental consultancy leading the works are analysing the results. The outcomes will help inform our designs and remediation strategies. 

We are committed to engaging the community with our revised designs and look forward to consulting on our plans again later this year. You can stay up to date with progress by registering for updates below.

Register FOr Updates

We hold all personal data as per General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 and your personal data will not be transferred outside of its jurisdiction. If you would like to make a GDPR request, please contact Lexington on 0161 711 0293. You can view our privacy policy here.

CONTACT

If you would like to get in touch with the project team to ask any questions, you can: