The site
Q: Where is the site of the former Baker Refractory Works, Armstrong Quarry and Steetley Quarry?
A: Approximately 2 miles (3.5 kilometres) south-west of Worksop town centre. It straddles the border of Bassetlaw District Council and Bolsover District Council.
The A619 runs along the southern edge of the site, connecting to the M1 at Junction 30, approximately 4 miles west of the site. Steetley Lane runs along the western edge and provides the existing access to the site. The eastern boundary is formed by the “Robin Hood” railway line. The area to the north is open countryside.
Q: How large is the whole site?
A: The whole of the site occupies an area of just over 85 hectares (210 acres), of which 37.5 hectares is within Bassetlaw District Council (Nottinghamshire County Council) and the remaining 47.7 hectares is within Bolsover District Council (Derbyshire County Council).
Planning
Q: What planning policies cover the site?
A:The site is covered by policies in the Bolsover Local Plan 2000 and the Bassetlaw Local Plan 2001, the Nottinghamshire & Nottingham Joint Structure Plan 2006, the Derby & Derbyshire Joint Structure Plan 2001, and the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8) 2005.
Ecology / the environment
Q: Why have you chosen this balance of developed vs non-developed land uses?
A: Laing O’Rourke’s aspiration is to create a strategic centre for its off-site manufacturing businesses at Steetley, it wants to create a sustainable environment through its development ideas for Steetley – that means addressing the environmental and economic issues faced today and those which are anticipated for the future. The amount of land suggested for development will enable Laing O’Rourke’s businesses to run efficiently and provide maximum boost for the local economy. However the Company also recognises the ecological interests on the site and the need for quality green space and feels that the balance proposed is appropriate.
Q: Why can’t the site just be left green?
A: While the site might appear ‘green’ on the surface, it is actually heavily contaminated due to years of industrial use. It is therefore not considered as quality green space and certainly not suitable for public recreation. A substantial clean up operation would be needed to make the land suitable for any long term use and to maximise its potential for nature conservation. Laing O’Rourke would do this in partnership with emda as part of its development programme.
It is also worth noting that cleaning up the site is unlikely to happen without the kind of development that Laing O’Rourke is proposing, as the clean up itself would be very expensive.
Q: What measures are you putting in place to care for the ecological interests of the areas you are looking to develop?
A: Laing O’Rourke is working closely with external environmental consultants and all activities are closely monitored by the Environment Agency. To date, measures have been actively carried out to ensure that ecological and wildlife interests on the site are protected or relocated where required.
Q: What measures are you putting in place to ensure that ground water doesn’t become contaminated?
A: The groundwater already is contaminated by the historic tipping in the quarry voids. Laing O’Rourke’s proposed investment in the site, working with emda includes measures to address this existing problem.
Q: You have cleaned up the site that you’re working on at the moment, but what will you do about the contamination covering the rest of the site you are proposing to build on?
A: The clean up operation delivered in Phase One would be carried out to an equally high standard for future phase in partnership with emda. The scope of works will be agreed and approved by the Environment Agency and emda.
Q: The water level in the quarry keeps rising, aren’t you worried it will flood?
A: The water level in the quarry will rise until it reaches a natural balance point. The map shown of potential future site uses actually indicates the area of land that would be underwater if that natural balance point were reached. This is viewed as the worst case. For added protection a spillway is being proposed that will control the final water level just below the current level. A design of this spillway is being put forward for agreement with the Environment Agency in the next few months.
Q: What about dust and noise levels on the site? How will you control these?
A: Laing O’Rourke will carry out a full environmental impact assessment of the site and its proposed ideas. At this stage only outline information is available but all necessary measures will be put in place as standard as is the case with Phase 1 currently under construction.
Community
Q: Do you have anyone working in community liaison?
A: Yes, Linda Robbins is a member of our team. Linda lives locally and has been employed by Laing O’Rourke as a consultant and would be more than happy to talk to you. Linda can be contacted through this website – on the feedback tab.
Q: Won’t these proposals turn Steetley into an industrial park?
A: Steetley has a proud industrial heritage – in it’s heyday the Colliery employed more than 500 people from the local area, making its Worksop’s single largest employer. But, industrial processes are moving forward. The land uses suggested would be state-of-the-art and a far cry from the polluting images of the past, and would create a great many new employment opportunities for the Worksop area.
Education
Q: What about the children in our schools? Will Laing O’Rourke involve them and give them the aspirations to work in construction when they are older?
A: Laing O’Rourke has a track record of serious engagement with schools, higher education and training organisations. It has set up a facility called The Learning Zone and this is on site now following a successful pilot on a school construction project in Nottingham. It’s a multifunctional facility which sits within the perimeter of the construction site but which is accessible from outside the site boundaries and is therefore a safe environment for all users.
Educational establishments and community groups are invited to use the facility as a teaching and learning centre which provides a window onto a busy active construction site. Students will enjoy working in a new environment near to the busy construction site providing the opportunities to learn about our unique industry. Our experience to date is that students and teachers have found this experience to be stimulating.
Traffic
Q: If the site is developed to the extent you are proposing, then surely just putting a roundabout in isn’t going to be enough? What else are you planning to do?
A: A full traffic study will be undertaken as part of the future planning application for the masterplan, which will set out necessary highway improvements. However, a roundabout has been designed to serve the whole site.
Q: Will you be putting any travel plans in place for workers?
A: The site currently has only limited public transport connections. In order to reduce reliance on the private car, Laing O’Rourke proposes to set up a subsidised bus service for employees.
As with the pre-cast concrete facility, Laing O’Rourke would introduce a “Green Travel Plan” for the workforce, both reducing traffic movements and the land paved over for vehicle parking and lockable bicycle racks are included in the proposals.
Census statistics show there is an economically active population of circa 39,500 living in wards within 5 kilometres of the site, which is a significantly higher population density than is typical for the districts of Bassetlaw and Bolsover, and indeed the East Midlands as a whole. The site is very close to Worksop. Providing a major generator of quality employment in this area will therefore reduce the need for people to travel further out of the area for work.
Training and employment
Q: When will the Training Facilities / Academy be open?
A: This very much depends upon the Planning Application process. However, training is an important priority for Laing O’Rourke.
Q: What training will be delivered?
A: It will first of all serve the needs of the off-site manufacturing facilities, not just the factory currently being constructed but other pre-fabrication facilities which we are considering developing as part of Phase Two. e.g mechanical services and off-site fabrication.
As part of its National Training drive, Laing O’Rourke is currently in discussion with Sector Skills Councils regarding provision at Steetley.
Q: Who will this Centre serve?
A: It will of course serve the businesses based at Steetley but the hope is that it will provide training for a much wider audience both for Laing O’Rourke and the local community. The extent of the local provision depends very much on the local demand. Work will be carried out with the Sector Skills Organisations to establish the needs of training in the locality, taking account of other local Facilities already in place and forecasts of future demands for skills.
Steetley will be a strategic centre for Laing O‘Rourke developing off-site manufacture and changing the way in which the construction industry operates. We will therefore be looking to see how the training facility can assist with this development.
Q: What type of building will the Centre / Academy be?
A: This has not been decided yet since we are still at the stage of deciding what is to be delivered and is of course subject to planning. The important thing will be to provide flexibility since we know from experience that training needs and learning methods are likely to change quickly over the years. We will be looking to adopt the most up to date learning methods.
Q: Who will deliver the training?
A: This is likely to be a team of trainers recruited from both within Laing O’Rourke and the local community. We will be looking for those people with a real talent in helping people learn. This will mean not just having the knowledge and skills but also the ability and enthusiasm to develop others. Our partnership with the Training Organisations will be a major benefit in developing this training capability.
Q: How can you be sure it will be successful?
A: Laing O’Rourke has an excellent reputation for training and is viewed as a top rate learning organisation. Development of its people is given high priority.
Steetley is a major strategic commitment by the Laing O’Rourke Group and it is a natural development of this investment for the Company to establish a Training Centre in this location.
Q: Will it be available for schools in developing their capability for
delivering the Construction and Engineering Diploma?
A: Over the coming months we will be engaging with local schools to discuss how the Steetley Development could help them with their curriculum. It is possible that, once established, the Training Centre could provide a very useful means of developing a work place learning link in connection with these diplomas. By working closely with the local schools we will be able to establish the type of engagement which is both practical and most beneficial to them.
Development
Q: How long will the whole site take to develop?
A: Laing O’Rourke expects Phase One to be up and running by the end of 2009. The first area for development for future phases would potentially be that which lies alongside the Phase One facility.
emda also has a commitment to clean up the former Colliery site by 2012 – Laing O’Rourke’s plans for investment would address this with the two organisations working in partnership.
Q: When will we hear what the final plans will be?
A: The planning process takes a long time and it is difficult to confirm weeks and months. The masterplan will be submitted to the District Councils by the end of 2008. We will then come back and hold another exhibition to show you the masterplan and explain how feedback gathered from public consultations has been used.
Q: How much money is all of this going to cost?
A: Because this is a long term proposal it is not really possible to state an exact figure. Laing O’Rourke’s investment in Phase One is over £80million. To date £13 million has been invested.
Q: When are you planning to start work on all of this?
A: Laing O’Rourke is hoping to achieve outline planning permission for its masterplan in the first half of 2009. It will then, in stages, develop and agree the details for each element of the scheme. No development work will start on site (other than Phase One) until late 2009, although some remediation / enabling works may start before then.
Q: Isn’t the concrete factory enough? Why do you need to develop more industry?
A: We are looking to develop Steetley as a ‘hub’ for off-site manufacturing excellence and while the concrete facility is the start of that process, to work efficiently, Laing O’Rourke wants to develop other in house manufacturing facilities as part of a Strategic Centre. This will be a major boost to the local economy.
Q: When you say industry, what do you mean?
A: There are a number of areas highlighted on the map suggested for manufacturing use with support facilities. More information will become available as plans are developed for planning approval.
Q: Are the plans just for Laing O’Rourke businesses? Will any local businesses be able to set up there?
A: It is intended that this would be a ‘hub’ for Laing O’Rourke businesses. We would be looking, however, to work with businesses based in the surrounding area to provide support services.
Land ownership
Q: Are you buying this site from emda and EP? Are you competing with other companies to do this?
A: Yes. Laing O’Rourke is entering in to a partnership for the remediation of the site which would result in its eventual ownership. emda is fully supporting Laing O’Rourke’s plans to bring employment to the area.
Laing O'Rourke
Q: Who is Laing O’Rourke? How can we be sure that they will deliver?
A: Laing O’Rourke has the experience and resources to deliver. It is the largest privately-owned construction company in the UK, and one of the largest in the world, with more than 29,000 employees worldwide and revenues of £3 billion in the last financial year.
Last year Laing O’Rourke presented its proposals for developing a manufacturing facility. It kept its promises: it has secured planning permission, has cleaned up the site for Phase1 and is now starting of construction work on site.
The regeneration of Steetley is an investment for Laing O’Rourke’s future, and the future of the Worksop area. The Company is thinking years ahead. Laing O’Rourke has a wide portfolio of work with a strong reputation and a good balance of public and private sector projects. It is not reliant on any one part of the market.
Q: What does Laing O’Rourke care about local communities?
A: Laing O’Rourke specialises in delivering projects which please not only its clients, but also the communities which use them and live near them, and the Company is responsible for some of the most innovative construction solutions anywhere in the world.
The Company’s vision includes a determination to improve the image of the UK construction industry.
Laing O’Rourke realises that construction and development takes place within the context of the wider community and that the people and organisations that make up this community are critical to Laing O’Rourke’s long-term success. It has a long history of engagement with local communities and supporting local initiatives.
Q: Who is Laing O’Rourke? What do they care about the environment?
A: Laing O’Rourke is proud to be one of the 36 founding members of the UK Green Building Council, whose mission is to “dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment by radically transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated”. To date, more than £1 million has been pledged by founding members to support the development of the Council.
Laing O’Rourke’s commitment to protection and enhancement of the environment is a major priority, achieved by implementing and maintaining an Environmental Management System and adhering to the company’s new Environment Policy.
Laing O’Rourke will only partner those companies who share its values and standards.
How do I get to the Steetley site?
The Steetley site is situated off the A619 between Barlborough and Worksop.
Traveling from Worksop:
Follow the A619 west and after passing underneath a low railway bridge, turn first right into Steetley Lane. The site entrance is a short way (approximately 500 yards) on the right. Follow the road into the site, towards the Laing O’Rourke compound car park at bottom right of the hill.
A new road is under construction which will provide direct access to the site from the A619. Once in use, this will mean that traffic will no longer have the use Steetley lane to enter and exit the site.
Traveling from the M1:
Follow the A619 east towards Worksop. After a short while you will pass Van Dykes hotel on your right, then a turning to Whitwell also on your right. Continue past the Half Moon pub on your left and then Steetley Lane turns off to the left. The site entrance is a short way along Steetley Lane, on the right. Follow the road into the site, towards the Laing O’Rourke compound car park at bottom right of the hill.
Multimap link (Local area)
Multimap link (Motorways)