Springwater School

Our brief

Lithos were commissioned by Variety (a children’s charity) to undertake an exploratory geoenvironmental appraisal and provide an earthworks specification for land at Springwater School in Harrogate. Springwater School is a day school for students (aged 2 to 19) with a wide range of learning difficulties and associated Special Educational Needs. The proposed development included the creation of a newly landscaped play area with only minor structures (‘lean-to’, single storey).

The site had remained undeveloped as gardens of ‘Belmont House’ until the 1960s when a Training Centre was built (essentially current school buildings). However, to give the earthworks contractor an idea of the ground for proposed cut & fill earthworks and to identify the presence of shrinkable soils within the vicinity of the current school buildings (due to the presence of a mature beech and lime tree; which were removed) some ground investigation was required.

The ground investigation comprised a total of 5 trial pits; 4 through the existing tarmac-surfaced play area and one close to the mature beech and lime trees. A hand-dug pit was excavated down the side of the main school buildings foundations to ascertain the depth and type of foundation; and to help assess the potential for ‘heave’ of the ground once the mature beech and lime trees were removed.

The outcome

Lithos were able to produce an Earthworks Specification for the processing and placement of fill which detailed how the made ground should be excavated, processed and replaced to allow creation of a newly landscaped play area.

The project is now complete and Lithos recently attended the Yorkshire Property Awards as part of the team involved in the ‘Big Build’ project for Variety Children’s Charity.