Kelvin Avenue former landfill site - completed investigation
The Kelvin Avenue former landfill was identified as being high priority due to the potential for landfill gas generation and migration, the site is also situated on a rock type which water can be extracted for domestic and commercial use.
The site is currently used as a public open space with a community centre. It is therefore considered to be a sensitive site. We were successful in our application to the EA for funding to undertake an investigation in November 2011.
Location
The site is situated in Middleton, centred on National Grid Reference (NGR) 384532 404933 and comprises a Public Open Space (POS) with a community centre, residential houses to the north, east and west and the M60 to the south.
The site was identified as being high priority due to the potential for landfill gas generation and migration, the site is also situated on a rock type which water can be extracted for domestic and commercial use. We were successful in our application to the EA for funding to undertake an investigation in November 2011.
Background
The site was mainly farmland until the early 20th century, the first signs of infilling is evident from historical maps from the 1900s, there was a sewage works situated on the site from the 1900s to the 1950s.
Landfill activity was undertaken in the post-war period and appears to have been completed by the 1960s when the community centre was built. When the motorway was built a large portion of the landfill was re-located, however the area around Kelvin Avenue remained in place.
Investigation
The investigation involved installing a number of boreholes and excavating hand dug pits around the site to assess the ground conditions and take samples for analysis. The investigation was followed by a 6-month monitoring period of ground gases and water.
Decision
The analysis showed no risk to site users or the water environment. Therefore the site does not meet the definition of contaminated land.
View decision record for the investigation into Kelvin Avenue landfill site