The former Rugeley Power Station's site measures approximately 15 hectares and is located to the south-east of Rugeley town centre and just north-east of the A51 in Staffordshire. Historically, the site hosted a variety of heavy industrial uses, including coal-fired energy generation, quarrying, and landfill operations. Structures such as cooling towers, diesel storage tanks, and lagoons containing ash and asbestos made the site unsuitable for redevelopment.
The project aimed to comprehensively remediate and prepare the land for new residential and community use, transforming a contaminated brownfield location into a safe and functional development platform. This regeneration unlocks urgently needed housing capacity while contributing to the long-term revitalisation of the area.
Key features include:
- Unlocking key brownfield land: 15 hectares of heavy industrial used land
- Increasing supply of housing: The regeneration project unlocks housing capacity
- A more sustainable future: Remediation of the land will improve the local biodiversity
Our role
BWB Consulting Ltd was appointed by Rugeley Power Limited to act as the supervising engineer and verification consultant throughout the remediation and earthworks phases. Working alongside contractor John F Hunt Regeneration Limited, BWB provided continuous on-site presence and technical leadership throughout the project.
Removal of unsuitable materials
Our role included over-excavation of approximately 1.5 metres across much of the site, removal of unsuitable material impacted by contaminants such as hydrocarbons and asbestos, and the treatment of materials with high coal content. Existing structures, foundations, and buried vaults were broken up and processed to meet material classification standards.
Stakeholder management
Our work also involved collaboration with multiple external bodies including the Environment Agency, local authorities, and the NHBC to ensure the enabling works were delivered to standard and that the site would be suitable for safe development. BWB helped maintain compliance and stakeholder alignment throughout the programme.
Multiple boundries
The site also crossed several local authority boundaries, creating a more complex stakeholder environment. BWB managed the coordination across these jurisdictions, ensuring that communication remained clear and consistent. By leading engagement and providing strategic oversight, we helped maintain project momentum and enabled the client to stay on programme despite shifting regulatory and technical demands.