Look up the word “remediation” in the dictionary and you’ll find: “The action of remedying something, in particular of reversing or stopping environmental damage”. The word may not be part of the average person’s vocabulary, but “remediation” is something of an everyday topic, a buzz-word even, inside Cuddy Group.

It was 2010 when, following the “Prepare to Build” ethos, Cuddy Group launched a specialist Remediation Division in response to the increasing and obvious need for an all-in-one contractor that could transform contaminated, industrial sites into land prime for new development.

Two years on, the Division and its dedicated team of managers, engineers and site workers is thriving, and some of Cuddy Remediation’s major contracts are coming to a close.

Remediation Manager, Gareth Reynolds, said, “The nationwide focus on re-using brown field industrial sites is creating an underlying demand and adding Remediation to Cuddy’s range of services was a natural progression. Fully utilising the technical expertise of our partner firms allows us to develop practical real-world solutions that meet our client’s goals.”

“In reality the pure science and the practicalities of const-ruction sites never align perfectly; our opportunity is to work across the many stakeholders and develop workable solutions that meet environmental targets, fit with client’s timeframes and don’t cost the earth.”

“More often than not, new tenders require an element of remediation,” Gareth added, “And being able offer a one-stop shop gives us a competitive advantage in the marketplace. We have some interesting contracts in the pipeline and there’s no doubt, plenty of challenges ahead.”

“But we’ve already established a successful track record, with the team delivering an outstanding level of technical expertise. Confidence is sky-high and we are well placed for the future.”

Two Giants Transformed: Goodyear and BP are two brand names of global proportions; and they’re both clients in a Cuddy Remediation portfolio that stands out from the crowd.

At the Goodyear Factory, Wolverhampton, Cuddy Remediation has turned a former tyre factory into a site suitable for development. It was no mean feat. 45,000 cubic metres (m³) of contaminated material was processed and treated; 50,000m³ of foundations broken out; 150,000m³ cut and fill to prepare the site for housing and, through an innovative combination of recycling, screening and bioremediation, less than 5% of material was sent to landfill!

At Baglan’s BP Petrochemical Plant, above, the Cuddy Remediation team are part of a consortium that has transformed a polluted site into development-ready land as part of a twenty year, £500m project to turn the area into an employment hub. It’s meant close engagement with local stakeholders, meeting strict environmental targets for contaminant flux and remediating 10.2 hectares of contaminated land which was formerly used for styrene manufacturing.

“It’s like I said,” Gareth Reynolds told us, “The Cuddy remediation team is an outstanding team who, at Goodyear and BP, delivered in every respect. It’s a case of job done, and the team can be very proud of both its performance and achievement.”