KMI+, the joint venture between Kier Construction, J Murphy and Sons Limited, Interserve Project Services and Mouchel, has negotiated its way into AMP5 and secured a framework contract valued at approximately £400m with United Utilities (UU) until March 2015.
The success means KMI+ will continue to work with United Utilities to deliver design, construction and final commissioning services on its investment programme to improve the water and wastewater networks in the north of the UK. Due to the mass scale of this contract operation, various European Leading firms are also supplying their services, including but not limited to Balfour Beatty, National Grid, United Utilities and Natural England.
TPA as at 17th January 2012 are in their 3rd week of installations under this £60k contract based at the Salt Marshes in Preston, and have experienced and endured a wide spectrum of operating conditions inclusive of some 105mph high winds which resulted in delays as installation crews are unable to operate in winds above 35mph.
Further considerations of this specialised contract have related to the SSI (Site of Scientific Interest) code of practise and various other related environmental stipulations.
Richard York, TPA’s Field Sales Engineer (North West) comments, “This contract is a great achievement for all involved and a tribute to the hard work that KMI has undertaken with United Utilities since 2002.We at TPA continue to strive to raise the bar in terms of delivering efficiencies, best practice, health, safety and quality performance.Our truly integrated way of working has been recognised by the industry as something that other organisations within the trackway industry could follow, especially for large frameworks and operations within the AMP5 contract sectors.I am delighted that we have extended our relationship with KMI and welcome our future working relationships.
Ribble Estuary NNR is the most important site in the UK for wintering wildfowl covering an area of4520 Ha, as located within the Counties ofLancashire & Merseyside with its main habitats beingCoastal. The reserve occupies over half of the total area of the Ribble estuary, including extensive areas of mud and sand flats and almost the entire saltmarsh habitat - one of the largest single areas of saltmarsh in England. In light of its importance the reserve has been declared aRamsar site and a Special Protection Area (SPA).
The estuary provides an important link in the chain of wetland sites in Western Europe, supporting over 100,000 ducks, geese and swans. In the winter the site is home to around 150,000 waders and is an internationally important refuge for 16 bird species.
In the summer the salt marshes support large numbers of breeding birds including black-headed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, common tern and redshank. Skylark, meadow pipit and linnet nest in significant numbers on the grazing marsh.
Management of the site involves grazing the salt marsh with cattle and sheep to maintain the short sward on which wintering wildfowl (especially wigeon and pink-footed geese) depend.
The main area of salt marsh is grazed by over 700 cattle from April to September, forming one of the largest single herds of cattle in the UK. Wildfowling also takes place on much of the reserve and improved management of this activity has contributed to the increase in the number of birds visiting the site.
Due to the fragility of the salt marsh and mudflats, access to the site is restricted to public rights of way. The reserve is 7 km west of Preston and includes land on both sides of the Ribble Estuary: as far as Lytham, on the northern bank, and Crossens (near Marshside), on the southern bank.
