Somerset Cultural Centre

Edenvale Young were appointed to prepare a sustainable drainage strategy to support the planning application for the proposed Somerset Cultural Centre near Bridgwater.  The development comprised the construction of 4 classrooms, a multi-purpose hall with catering facilities, 28 residential dormitories and ancillary accommodation as well as a central plant room. On the site there will also be an area for car and coach parking, structured hard landscaping and soft landscaping including planting of vegetation.

The site investigation (trial pits and soakaway tests) established that, infiltration rates were very low and commensurate with a firm to very firm clay. Whilst it may have been possible to identify a stratum underlying the site with higher infiltration rates it was considered that the weathered nature of the Mercia Mudstone reported militated against finding a region of higher infiltration. The drainage strategy incorporated a range of SuDS features including attenuation and detention ponds as well as the use of green roofs to buildings, and bio-retention features within car parking areas.