Brown trout, a historic bridge, a colony of bats and an important watercourse all had to be contended with while we carried out work on our Hazel Grove wastewater treatment works.
Construction had to be carefully planned to avoid disruption to neighbouring areas as it is situated in a site of biological interest.
Before work could even begin, a 338-year-old stone arch bridge, built over Torkington Brook in Stockport, had to be strengthened so that construction vehicles were able to cross safely. Our Integrated Alliance team then had to liaise with local authority ecologists and the Environment Agency before they lifted a spade.
We had to take care to limit disruption to the river itself, its population of brown trout and a nearby bat roost. Work was carried out where possible on a platform above the river and bat roosting boxes were incorporated into the bridge design. All our efforts paid off by reducing disruption to the area and its wildlife and our environmentally-friendly approach even received praise from our regulator.