OCL Regeneration appointed to deliver circular construction works on former Ford Airfield housing scheme

Holcim UK business OCL Regeneration has been contracted to remove and reprocess the concrete runway at the former Ford Airfield in West Sussex, as part of a multi-million pound plan by housebuilder Vistry to create a 1,500-home neighbourhood with community facilities at a new development called Fordham. The appointment places circular construction methodology at the centre of one of the region's most significant housing-led regeneration projects.

Premier Construction News reported that OCL has been contracted to process all site-won materials into foundation and paving materials, with no material leaving the site unnecessarily. The former airfield, which opened in 1918 and played a central role in the Second World War, including in the Allied D-Day plans, is now being transformed into a residential community.

The concrete runway is 250mm thick and laid on an asphalt base containing hazardous waste, which must be specially handled, treated and reprocessed to comply with Environment Agency standards. The first phase of works has seen a 6,000 square metre temporary compound surface created using in-situ stabilisation, with a section of the runway milled and planed, then screened and mixed with cement and water to create Cement Bound Granular Material (CBGM) for use as a compound surface.

The next phase will see full remediation begin, with the remaining runway processed and repurposed on-site to create Type 1 recycled aggregate and capping for the foundations of the development's spine road. The contract is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Read more on OCL Regeneration's appointment at the Ford Airfield housing development.