Depending on location, generally 3 hectares or bigger is worth considering. Obviously the larger, the area, the more opportunity for improvement and new design.

It’s probably worth being clear that none of this project will go ahead unless The Environmental Agency approves of the project and issues a permit to bring the appropriate material to the site.

We always try to find ‘donor’ sites as close as possible to the project, as this reduces the haulage cost and time. Any donor site must meet The Environmental Agency criteria (see more below)

The permit issued by The Environmental Agency will specify the type of material that can be used. Once the specification is clear, we will then find donor sites that match that specification. Donor sites tend to be operated by large plc companies who are obliged to have extensive testing carried out to confirm the type of material they would like to remove from this site. It is only when the material on this site (the donor site) matches up with what is permissible by The Environment Agency, can we then bring it to your site to create the remodelling.

Yes, even though the above drastically reduces, if not eliminates any risk, part of the management protocol for The Environmental Agency permit requires regular testing of the material received. This testing is then sent to an independent laboratory to confirm it matches the specification in The Environmental Agency permit.

As part of our operational protocol, we have a dust suppression unit on site, which sprays water to keep the dust at bay.

These projects require working with specialised consultees to generate reports to satisfy planning. This is where our expertise comes in to manage this process, meaning very little impact on the workload for local authority officers.

Yes, we run our projects in tandem with Alliance Leisure Services Ltd, and we are both part of the UK Leisure Framework. A tried and tested procurement vehicle for local authorities, with more than £200 million of leisure schemes already delivered through the framework.

As part of our management process, we will host several public consultations to help the local residents understand the vision for the project and the long-term benefits.

Of course, as with any change inevitably, there will be some resistance, but our experience so far is the resistance is limited and far outweighed by the support when the project and vision is presented thoroughly.

Like any construction project, there will be an element of disruption. However, we are very experienced at containing the work to the minimal space possible, which often means that the work is done in phases, meaning, very often most of the park/playing fields can stay open to the public while we work in our contained areas.

This will completely depend on the design, and the outcome you’re trying to achieve. As part of the EA permit, we use the minimum amount of soil to achieve the outcome desired, this ensures the landscape looks ‘natural’ after the work.

When the local authority has a need to improve or upgrade a facility, it is always our aim to try and do this at no cost to the council.

The first step is always a desktop study, sometimes combined with a site visit this will give us a general overview of the potential, and the likelihood of delivering the project at zero cost to the council.

This stage is carried out free of charge by GLE Ltd. It is only after this stage i.e. when both parties believe the project is viable do any costs get incurred.

The council will fund the planning stage, which is carried out in phases and these fees are returned to

This is always our aim. During the free no obligation stage we will be able to determine if this is possible.

There is no catch, this opportunity is driven by a government incentive to recycle clean, inert, environmentally approved soil, which creates an amazing win-win opportunity. We always say the downside is the same as any construction project, there is a period of disruption while the work is carried out, but the long-term benefit far outweighs the drawbacks.