Ardent Consulting Engineers

We’re delighted to hear that committee approval has been granted for a 20-home scheme on land situated at Elmer’s Field, Ockley, Surrey. The Ardent team supported the application for this project in the Mole Valley, from initial allocation through to planning. Our in-house experts prepared a transport statement, highways improvement design and provided input to the internal masterplan design. The new homes, which will be located just beyond the village boundary, balance the need for housing with a highly sensitive local landscape, heritage and biodiversity. Says Ardent Associate Director, David Howson: “This was an interesting project to work on, as the scheme is situated within an area of Great Landscape Value, partly within Ockley’s Conservation Area, and adjacent to Ancient Woodland, so our input had to take into account all of these considerations. “We also worked closely with the local community to refine the final design noting their feedback on the preliminary proposals and the operation of the local highway.” “It was a great team effort from everyone involved, and I’d like to thank the following people.” ◼ Ardent: Kevin M. and Stan Gruncell ◼ Savills: Guy Dixon and Lizzie Withall ◼ HNW Architects: Lee Davies RIBA CA and Gareth Pugh ◼ The Ecology Co-op: Sam Lunn ◼ Aegaea Limited: Daniel Cook C.WEM MCIWEM ◼ Ecology Solutions: Alastair Macquire Image: Courtesy of HNW Architects #CivilEngineering #TransportPlanning #TransportationPlanning #Highways #Planning

Ardent Consulting Engineers was delighted to support a recent Blue Heart #SuDS4Schools engagement project at Ocklynge Junior School in Eastbourne. This is part of an ongoing SuDS in Schools project that Ardent are supporting Blue Heart with which is led by our Senior Engineer, Victoria Lander. Andy French, Principal Engineer for Ardent, returned to the school where he studied to help the children discover more about the causes and dangers of flooding and how they can capture rainfall in the school. It was a memorable experience for everyone involved! Find out more below 👇🏻 #SuDS #FloodRisk #FloodRiskProtection

Last week, our Edinburgh office welcomed Oliver, a Year 11 student at Dunbar Grammar school, for his high school work experience placement. This placement is part of an outreach education programme across the wider business as Ardent Consulting Engineers is keen to encourage more young people to take up subjects in the Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) sector. During Oliver’s week spent with our team, he learnt about the “Ardent Way” and the focus on quality, with a variety of talks and project examples from each of our disciplines, from finance to air quality, and acoustic consultancy to transportation and infrastructure. The week focused on project work, so Oliver was able to get involved by helping with a renewables project that the Scotland Infrastructure team is currently working on. Said Oliver. “I’ve really enjoyed my work experience week at Ardent. It was interesting to learn more about the services the company offers and be involved in some project design work. “I found it useful to hear how the people I spoke to started their careers. I’d like to thank Ardent for making me feel so welcome, and also thank the people who took time to talk to me.” We wish Oliver well with his future studies. #WorkExperience #FutureCareers #STEM #Edinburgh 

Ardent’s team of specialists were recently appointed by Archel Homes to provide technical consultancy services for a project at Pound Street in Newbury. Our in-house team undertook noise, air quality, flood risk and drainage assessments for this 100-unit residential development scheme. Ashley Shepherd, Ardent's Principal Acoustic Consultant, who managed the project said; “The site is located adjacent to the Great Western Railway line serving Newbury, which posed both noise and air quality related constraints. “We worked closely with the design team and energy consultants to ensure appropriate mitigation measures were implemented to protect future residents.” Adds Andrew Carter, who produced the flood risk and drainage assessments: “We take great pride in delivering exceptional Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) designs. “For this project, we collaborated closely with the architectural team from the very beginning, fostering a seamless partnership throughout the design process. This close coordination allowed us to align our SuDS solutions with the broader architectural vision, ensuring that both functional and aesthetic goals were achieved.” A great team effort from Jamie Pearson from Archel Homes, Catherine Bruce from Savills, plus Ashley Shepherd, Andrew Carter and Josh Willoughby from Ardent, led to the development receiving unanimous planning committee approval in September. #CivilEngineering #EnvironmentalScience #Noise #AirQuality #FloodRisk #SuDS Image courtesy of Archel Homes  

We were delighted to sponsor the latest RTPI East Midlands Summer Social and it was good to see such a turnout. Adds Ardent's Ryan Smith, who attended the event; "It was a great opportunity to meet other industry professionals from the Nottingham area and network in an informal setting." Thanks to everyone who organised and attended the event.

Our Edinburgh office team scaled new heights with clients and co-professionals at Barnardo’s Charity event last week atop the iconic Forth Bridge. The bridge in East Scotland, which spans the Firth of Forth, was definitely an apt location for a group of Engineers and Transport Planners to meet up! 🤓 Although virtual meetings on Teams are fine, nothing beats an in-person get together. And what better way to bond than with a dash of adrenaline thrown in thanks to being anchored to a platform 110m up! We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Barnardo’s volunteers, Balfour Beatty plc staff and everyone who joined us and made the event such a success. We look forward to collaborating in future, with projects that are perhaps a little closer to ground level next time. Hugh Shepherd MRTPI, Anna Nikolaidou, Thea Davies, Harry Kirkham, Robert Macgregor, Russell Henderson, Kevin Kay, Neil Chalmers and Bonnie Edgar-Nevill #Barnardos #Edinburgh #TeamBuilding #Networking #TransportPlanning #CivilEngineering

This week we have opened a new office in Manchester, expanding Ardent Consulting Engineers’ presence and geographical reach in the North West/East regions. The new office is situated at Chancery Place, 10th Floor, 50 Brown Street, Manchester, M2 2JG (telephone 0207 680 4088). The Manchester team will be led by Associate, Andrew Fireman, supported by Associate Director, Andrew Braun, and Director, Simon Hall, plus the wider Ardent team across the UK. The Manchester office will provide Ardent’s full range of services which span the planning and design stages. Says Managing Director, Christopher Baker-Pearce; “This new office – our eighth in the UK – forms part of our wider expansion plans, in a region where we foresee continued development potential and growth. “It will enable us to provide an even better service to existing and new clients in the locality. Plus, we’ve also been able to recruit more people locally, and we’re looking forward to welcoming the new starters to the office at the end of September." The new Manchester office will be supported by the wider Ardent team based at our London headquarters, plus experts from our other six regional offices in Suffolk, Essex, South West, Midlands, Kent and Edinburgh.  

We’re delighted to announce that this summer we’re recognising the contributions of our people with eight new promotions within the Ardent Consulting Engineers team. Congratulations to the following as they take up their new positions: 🔹 David Milligan - Design Director 🔹 Andrew Fireman - Associate 🔹 Jay Moriarty - Associate 🔹 Paul Rynton - Associate 🔹 Georgia Athanasia - Project Associate  🔹 Millie Rickleton - Principal Engineer 🔹 Josh Willoughby - Air Quality Consultant  🔹 Ben Tong - Senior Technician Said Ardent MD, Christopher Baker-Pearce: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to recognise the hard work of our people with this latest round of promotions and I’d like to wish them all the best in their careers. “Since 2021, Ardent has been an employee-owned business, recognising that our people play a fundamental part in the success of our business. "We believe in investing in the development of our team and look to promote from within, wherever possible. So, it’s very rewarding to see these employees continue to progress and thrive within the company. And our clients also benefit from the continuity of relationships built with each of them as they further expand their skills and expertise. “I’d like to thank the people listed above, and the rest of the wider Ardent team, for their ongoing contributions to our business and for their passion for service delivery.” #CivilEngineering #InfrastructurePlanning #TransportationPlanning #AirQuality #DrainageDesign #FloodMitigation

It was a pleasure to host the inaugural Ardent Consulting Engineers Invitational Football Tournament last week at Shoreditch Powerleague in London. This new event was a great opportunity for our team to mix with both clients and contacts from the industry. Well done to the teams involved - from Bellway Homes, Savills, RM_A, BPTW and eb7 ltd – and many thanks to those who joined us both on the pitch and off for food and drinks afterwards. The hard-fought contest, held in the blistering heat, saw some strong tackles and superb goals. The Plate Tournament was won by Bellway Homes, and the Ardent team took home the overall victor’s trophy on home turf. Said Ardent Associate, Paul Rynton, who organised the event and captained our team to victory: “It was great to catch up with people on a football pitch, rather than on a video call or across a meeting room table. Whilst Ardent won the overall tournament that we were hosting, I promise that there was no match-fixing involved! “It was great fun and we’re looking forward to organising another event like this in the future.” If anyone would like to take on the champions, we’re always open to evening games against industry friends. Just let us know! #CivilEngineering #CivilInfrastructure #EngineeringConsultants #Networking 

It was great to see how the Memorial Fields Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) in Thatcham was progressing on a recent site visit. Ardent has supported West Berkshire Council with flood risk expertise and design for this scheme, plus eight others nearby. During the site visit, the contractor - Hope and Clay (Construction) Ltd) - escorted Thatcham Town Council and Thatcham SWMP Funding Committee members around the scheme. It is located within the central urban area of Thatcham, a market town in the River Kennet valley. This site is the ninth and final strategic flood management scheme to be delivered under the 2010 Thatcham Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP), created following devastating floods in the area back in 2007, which affected approximately 1,200 properties. Many stakeholders have been instrumental in securing the delivery of the scheme, including West Berkshire Council, the Environment Agency, the Thatcham Memorial Trust, Thatcham Town Council, Thatcham SWMP Funding Committee, Thames Water, Sports England and the Thatcham Flood Forum. This scheme comprises a 0.80-hectare terraced basin, with a 120m and 280m length of swale and bunds respectively with its associated landscaping. One of the key drivers of the scheme was to ensure a dual-purpose use. While the basin’s main function and wider scheme area is to protect Thatcham from flooding, the scheme also looks to retain its previous functionality in terms of an amenity area for the public. A focus on creative placemaking within the scheme was followed. Ardent’s Project Director, Gareth Hardwick said: “This scheme followed immediately after three other schemes which were let as one construction contract, also undertaken by Hope and Clay. “It’s a testament to all those involved that the planning, tender and discharge of planning conditions were all delivered in under 12 months, and to the skills of Hope and Clay’s construction team. They’ve managed a constrained large earthworks contract within Thatcham’s centre, without generating the usual problems of dust and mud on the roads. This has been achieved by using an innovative temporary site access roadway keeping all the road-going lorries away from and out of the excavations.” The Memorial Fields FAS, which is due for completion in October 2024, is designed to remove 73 homes from flood risk - up to the 100-year climate change event - while reducing the frequency of flooding to over 100 properties which do not currently benefit from the other schemes in the area. #CivilEngineering #FloodRisk #FloodRiskManagement #WestBerkshire