Stoner Hill scheme wins industry award

One of the Hampshire County Council engineers who was instrumental in overseeing the rebuilding the C18 Stoner Hill following a major landslip has won an industry award for the project.

Mark Neave, Chief Engineer - Structures, received the Institution of Civil Engineers (South) Construction Award for Environmental Improvement at a ceremony held at to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford, held at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Mark project managed the County Council’s response to the landslip, in partnership with the contractor Dean & Dyball, consultants Mott Gifford, Natural England, local residents and businesses.

The landslip destroyed a section of Stoner Hill in March 2006 forcing the closure of the road for safety reasons until it reopened to traffic a fortnight ahead of schedule last November.

The complexity of the project was compounded by the environmentally sensitive nature of the site - a Site of Special Scientific Interest in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  This was uppermost in the teams’ minds when working on a design solution to repair the road.

The County Council worked closely with all parties to ensure the features of the SSSI weren’t damaged, and that the protected species in the area weren’t adversely affected by the construction works.

The County Council’s Executive Member for Environment, Cllr Mel Kendal, said: “This award is thoroughly well deserved and I congratulate Mark, the whole team in our Engineering Consultancy, Hampshire Highways East office and our partners, for a job very well done.

“In addition to the skill in handling the engineering and sustainability challenges, this was a prime example of how keeping the community informed can help reduce some tensions, including holding a public meeting attended by more than 400 residents.  It was a difficult time for local people because businesses were affected by the road closure, and most people - but not all - wanted the road reopened as soon as possible.  This we achieved.”

The award was presented on 8 June.