Minimising Environmental Impacts at Snowdonia National Park

Business: Carillion Building

Location: Snowdonia National Park

Date: 2004 – ongoing

In partnership with: Snowdonia National Park Authority

Business benefits included enhanced company reputation for delivery of difficult high profile contracts.

Community Benefits included protection of the value of the National Park, opportunities to reuse excavated materials and providing an environmentally efficient building.

Site work includes the demolition of the existing summit visitor centre and creation of a new fit for purpose centre within a designated National Park, Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.

Project success relies upon meeting the needs of the range of organisations that utilise the centre, whilst minimising disruption during demolition and construction.

To ensure that the project runs smoothly relationships have been established with organisations involved in the parks’ governance in particular with Snowdonia National Park Authority. At all stages of planning and demolition, and now in the construction phase, open communication channels are paramount, offering a platform for potential concerns to be raised which Carillion can allay and through which future plans can be discussed.

Communication has been extended to the wider community through the visits of a film crew organised by the client, for a documentary, and also through media coverage from BBC, ITV, SC4, local radio stations, and an online blog due to the high profile status of the site.

Carillion has been working with the Snowdon Mountain Railway Company to arrange travel for workers and material to and from the summit before and after tourist trips. This has been enabled through specially arranging trains, and through the manufacture and use of a bespoke flatbed truck for material transportation.

There are additional areas requiring ongoing governance consultation, with Carillion currently in discussions with Snowdonia National Park, CCW and Snowdonia Mountain Railway regarding onward reuse of excavated mountain rock.