The site was the Wastewater Treatment Plant to the main works which was owned and run by Bayer CropScience. 

The purpose of the site was to remove production chemicals from the water that was discharged under licence into the local river system.

Bridgemere UK Limited, have employed a specialist remediation contractor, Vertase FLI, to undertake the remediation works. Vertase FLI are a nationally based specialist contractor with experience of remediating similar sites throughout the UK. QDS Environmental, an environmental and engineering consultancy, are also present on site to provide independent validation and monitoring of the works being undertaken by Vertase FLI. 

The remediation works are expected to take 18 months. However this may be subject to change. 

See our Project Timeline to keep up to date with each stage of the works.

The activities being carried out involve heavy plant and machinery and it is essential that the perimeter is secure. Encouraging passers-by to watch at viewing windows or platforms may put them at risk from nearby traffic and could distract staff on site, placing them at risk. As a result, we shall be keeping the public informed via the website, notice boards, drop in sessions and through local media as required. 

General enquiries: ask.hauxton@vertasefli.co.uk

FAQs on this website.

Keep checking this website for regular updates.

For general enquiries or concerns please contact either the Environment Agency on 08708 506 506 (enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk) or South Cambridgeshire District Council on 03450 450 063

Access to the Sports ground will be maintained throughout the remediation works.

A detailed Traffic Management Plan has been produced, with specifies several actions to be taken, which will reduce any impact on Sports Ground users. These include:

• Evening and weekend work is not anticipated,

• Restriction on timings to and from the site for small and heavy plant access to the Site,

• Appropriate signage will be erected on the unnamed private road to warn construction traffic to give way to both pedestrians and cycle traffic prior to merging onto the A10,

• Contractor waiting and parking is not permitted on the unnamed private road. Plenty of contractor and visitor parking is available within the boundary of the works,

• Wheel washing facilities will be provided for all vehicles leaving the Site to ensure no significant deposit of mud or debris.

The Hauxton Meadows residential development will be largely unaffected by the remediation works. At certain times during the works such as during the mobilisation and demobilisation of plant and equipment, there will be an increase in traffic turning off the A10 onto the unnamed road leading to the site. However, HGVs are not permitted to enter Hauxton Meadows. Contractor parking is not permitted within Hauxton Meadows or anywhere else off site. All contractor parking will be within the site boundary.

Remediation is a process whereby the soil and groundwater is cleaned up to make it suitable for proposed future use. The predominant remediation technique being used on the site is called 'Bioremediation'.

Bioremediation is a natural process using microorganisms already present in the soil to degrade contaminants to harmless by-products. 

Briefly, the remediation works involve excavating contaminated soils before processing and treatment. The excavation activity is an essential part of the process allowing access to the soils so that contaminants can be effectively and efficiently treated. Soils are processed using screens (these are mechanical sieves/shredders breaking up the soil to enable treatment). Once screened, soils are transported within the site to a separate area of the site for covering and treatment. Contaminated groundwater is collected from the excavations and treated in the water treatment plant. Once treatment is complete and laboratory analysis confirms this, the soils will be returned to the ground. 

After the excavation works, remaining contaminants within groundwater will be treated by the injection of remediation substrates.

The soil is comprehensively sampled and tested at a laboratory and once it has met stringent levels required to make sure that there will be no further unacceptable risk to groundwater and human health, it is put back into the ground.

Since the 1940s the site was involved in the production of agrochemicals including pesticides and herbicides. This has resulted in contamination of soil and groundwater beneath the site. Due to the risk posed to the groundwater and nearby watercourses, the site was determined as Contaminated Land in 2003 under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and designated a Special Site for regulation by the Environment Agency. The site must therefore be remediated and cannot be left in its current form as it poses a potential threat to the River Cam. The site has also been granted outline permission for commercial development subject to it being remediated to a standard suitable for these uses. 

Taking soil off site would still generate smells as the material would need to be excavated and then transported. There would also be the impact of construction traffic on local roads with numerous vehicles coming and going from the site. Government and European Policy in recent years has moved away from taking material away to landfill. The emphasis is now placed on remediation being carried out in a sustainable way, which involves treating contaminated material at source to an acceptable standard and re-using it where possible. 

The overall remediation strategy is to treat material at its source and to reuse it where possible. Some of the material recovered from the site will be unsuitable for treatment such as asbestos containing materials, drums and other waste including some heavily impacted soils. This material will be segregated on site until it is removed under the appropriate waste transfer documentation to a suitable licensed facility. Any lorries taking untreatable materials off site will be covered, ensuring that the cover is weighted down to prevent it blowing up during transit. This ensures that waste material remains within the confines of the skip throughout its journey and prevents waste particles and odours becoming airborne. Prior to leaving the site all lorries are washed down and inspected.

The site is being remediated by a specialist contractor who is controlling the process to make sure that it is carried out safely. The works are also being independently supervised by an environmental consultant who is permanently on site and they are visited regularly by the Environment Agency and South Cambridgeshire District Council as regulators. 

No, the site is divided into a "clean" and "dirty" side which is segregated by fencing. Though there are daily vehicle movements on and off of the "clean" side of the site for site workers and deliveries etc, there are relatively few vehicles accessing the "dirty" side of the site such as for new vehicle/plant deliveries. Any such movements on and off the "dirty" side are wheel washed prior to leaving the site to prevent potentially contaminated mud being deposited on the road. 

Long term testing has been carried out onsite. A number of pesticides and herbicides were found, along with other organic contaminants. A full list of which is available upon request via email ask.hauxton@vertasefli.co.uk.

A list of the chemicals found on the site was submitted with the planning application.

The work is being monitored full-time on site by the environmental and engineering consultancy, QDS Environmental. QDS Environmental are present on site to independently monitor and validate that the work is being carried out in line with the appropriate permissions for the site. The remediation work is being carried out under the conditions of an Environmental Permit, which is regulated by the Environment Agency. South Cambridgeshire District Council also have a planning enforcement role. 

The Environment Agency (EA) has responsibility for regulating the conditions set out in the Environmental Permit for the site. The EA will also respond to any environmental incidents related to the site. South Cambridgeshire District Council have responsibility for regulating the planning conditions set out in the planning permission and are also working closely with the Environment Agency to respond to, and address the concerns of nearby residents. 

The remediation process requires the soil to be excavated. There are odours associated with the contaminants in the soil. As these contaminated soils are dug they can release odours that had previously been trapped underground. 

As part of the conditions imposed by the planning permission and Environmental Permit a comprehensive regime of environmental monitoring is in place. Part of this monitoring programme includes monitoring air quality. Air quality is monitored both on and off site. These include fixed locations, locations in response to complaints and at random locations. The results of this monitoring are forwarded to the Environment Agency and the Environmental Health department of South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). The Health Protection Agency (HPA) will provide assistance with interpreting the results. A summary of the results will also be shared publicly in our regular updates via the website, the local village noticeboard and the Parish Council. 

The human nose is very sensitive to odours, and many substances that are perceived as odorous are usually present at levels below which there is a direct harmful effect. Odours can however cause annoyance amongst the population possibly leading to stress and anxiety. Some people may experience symptoms such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, as a reaction to odours even when the substances that cause those smells are themselves not harmful to health. It cannot be excluded that some resident's symptoms may be as a result of their reaction to particular odours and it remains our recommendation that all efforts are taken to reduce off-site odours to as low as is reasonably practical. Consult your family doctor or NHS Direct if you are concerned about any effects on your health. 

If odours or vapours from the activities on site are causing a significant nuisance please contact the environment agency incident hotline, immediately on 0800 80 70 60.For general enquiries or concerns please contact either the environment agency on 08708 506 506, (enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk) or South Cambridgeshire District Council on 03450 450 063. If the odours arising from the work activities on the formers Waste Water Treatment Site are upsetting you please contact ask.hauxton@vertasefli.co.uk

Access to the Sports ground will be maintained throughout the remediation works.

A detailed Traffic Management Plan has been produced, with specifies several actions to be taken, which will reduce any impact on Sports Ground users during the remediation works:

These include:

• Evening and weekend work is not anticipated,

• Restriction on timings to and from the site for small and heavy plant access to the Site,

• Appropriate signage will be erected on the unnamed private road to warn construction traffic
  to give way to both pedestrians and cycle traffic prior to merging onto the A10,

• Contractor waiting or parking is not permitted on the unnamed private road. Plenty of parking is available within the boundary of the work,

• Wheel washing facilities will be provided for all vehicles leaving the Site to ensure no significant deposit of mud or debris.