Jones Bros delivers carbon neutral home for international specialist logistics provider20th Oct 2023

A North Wales-based civil engineering firm has played a key role in the build of a 100 per cent carbon neutral operations centre.

Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK carried out the infrastructure work for Tilstone Partners Limited at the Vita Nova Centre, which is the new home of Brit European Group in Middlewich, Cheshire.

As part of the £3.6 million contract, a logistics depot, comprising car and HGV parking, a pedestrian link, and service yard were constructed.

Jones Bros undertook earthworks to level the plot and prepared the four-and-a-half-acre site using a cement stabilisation design, which reduced the requirement for imported stone.

Using this technique removed 600 vehicle movements by eliminating the need to bring in 12,000 tonnes of virgin aggregates and the removal of soils.

The final surface was finished using 3,500m3 of concrete which was poured over a six-month period to provide a hardwearing exterior for HGV parking. The area was then safeguarded, with security fencing and two remotely operated gates installed.

The scheme also intended to balance out the amount of on-site carbon emissions with the use of modern techniques.

The civil engineering contractor fitted tanks to harvest rain, facilitating an 85 per cent reduction in water usage, while an attenuation pond was built to manage excess run-off and increase retention capacity.

Wind power was important to the development with the Ruthin-headquartered company providing ducting for the installation of vertical turbines.

During the 10-month construction period, fuel consumption was reduced by more than 50 per cent with the use of solar power generators.

Jones Bros senior contracts manager Elgan Ellis said: “It was fantastic to play a part in such a state-of-the-art development.

“Brit European Group’s specific targets went hand-in-hand with the fact that as a company we are always looking to take care of the environments where we’re working.”

The construction programme was a key consideration, and in order to accommodate the new occupant’s desire to move in ahead of a busy period with its car, van, and commercial divisions braced for the new registration plates coming out, the site had to be built and handed over in two halves.

Elgan, who had a team of 10 on the project, including an apprentice, continued: “We always do what we can for the client.

“We had to wait patiently for an electric cable to be diverted, but rather than wait for this to be concluded we went ahead and built one half of the site safely, which allowed us to deliver it in time for Brit European Group to move in early.

“The second part followed a month later with the new tenants thrilled with the arrangement and really happy at their new base.”

Graham Lackey, Brit European Group CEO, said: “Working with Jones Bros was a pleasure.

“They understood our objectives and desire to push the boundaries of sustainability and throughout the project every issue was dealt with thanks to a sensible conversation and considered approach.

“I would recommend them to anyone!”

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the largest plant fleets in the UK and employs approximately 500 people.

The company is currently working on contracts in various sectors including highways, flood and marine defence, waste management and renewable energy around the UK.

The company runs an award-winning apprenticeship scheme, which has produced nearly 40 per cent of its current workforce, with many of its senior managers having started out as apprentices or in a trainee role. It has recruited more than 100 apprentices during the past three years.