Brynmawr Retail Park, Blaenau Gwent

PROJECTS

Brynmawr Retail Park, Blaenau Gwent

Project: Retail park with 150 car parking spaces
Location: Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales
Client: JLL planning consultants, on behalf of Legal & General
Services: Flood risk, drainage and hydrology, Infrastructure

What it was trying to achieve

A derelict brownfield site in the heart of Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, was proposed for redevelopment as a new retail park providing four retail units and parking for over 150 vehicles. The scheme would replace a long-standing eyesore in the town centre with employment, retail and a renewed commercial presence in a location that had lost it. JLL planning consultants instructed Calibro on behalf of Legal and General.

What made it complex

Sustainable drainage in Wales is governed by the SuDS Approving Body and applies Welsh Government standards that are stricter than those in England, requiring drainage systems to both cleanse and attenuate surface water. The design also had to provide Section 278 highway designs for new and improved junctions on the local road network. The drainage outfall available was the existing infrastructure, which could not be upgraded, and the drainage design had to work within its capacity and within the retail layout that had already been determined.

What it produced

Planning permission was granted for the retail park. The drainage design satisfied SAB and Welsh Government requirements. Section 278 highway designs were approved by the Local Highway Authority. The integration of drainage and landscape design reduced costs by avoiding separate infrastructure where the SuDS elements could serve both purposes.

How we thought about it

The best infrastructure design is invisible: it delivers what the masterplan needs without announcing itself. On this site, the drainage design and the landscape design were the same design. We captured surface water from roofs, roads, pavements and parking areas through a series of treatment and attenuation stages before discharge through the existing outfall. Working with the landscape architect, we integrated raised planters and rain gardens into the drainage scheme so that the SuDS elements served both the hydraulic requirement and the amenity of the development. We worked closely with the SAB engineer throughout, building the technical relationship that allowed the approval process to move efficiently.