Shuttleworth Solar Farm

Site Difficulties

The project is located in a rural area near Gisburn, Lancashire. Due to location and altitude the site was susceptible to very inclement weather, meaning ground conditions during construction made completing the project more difficult. Moreover, there was significant risk of theft from site, evidenced by the theft of 2 pieces of plant from the project in the space of a number of weeks.
 

Solutions

To mitigate the impact of the inclement weather and prevent unnecessary disturbance to the ground, a detailed and highly controlled plant movement schedule was formulated to ensure that the programme durations were maintained without creating additional risk to people, plant or the ground itself. During periods of snowfall or hard ground preventing completion of digging activities, a flexible approach was formulated to optimise time on site completing other activities when digging works could not take place. Site security was enhanced to try and prevent theft and supply chains adjusted to ensure that equipment and plant held on site was kept to a minimum, in line with just-in-time principles.