Green Field Marina Construction project

The scheme comprises the design and construction of a £5.4m 620 berth canal marina on the Trent and Mersey Canal, with attendant infrastructure, offices, dry dock, chandlery, ablution blocks, and a bespoke “link canal” which will serve to connect the existing lake (a former Trout Fishery and commercial “borrow pit”), to the Trent and Mersey Canal.

The new link canal passes under an existing highway (Findern Lane), by way of a new canal bridge.  The new link canal will include a wetland (habitat compensation area) and a control structure capable of isolating the marina from the canal for future maintenance etc. The project also involved £1M of road infrastructure improvements to Findern Lane and the junction with Etwall Road in the village of Willington to deal with the increased volume of traffic created by the marina.  A pumped foul drainage system was also installed to dispose of the foul waste from the new facilities buildings, offices, pub, dry dock workshop and the boats themselves. This foul sewer line was directionally drilled under Findern Lane and the rail crossing on Findern Lane under the supervision of Network Rail, before eventually connecting into the existing foul sewer system in Willington.

The earthworks, to form the shape of the marina and the internal islands and promontories within the marina was carried out using GPS controlled earthmoving equipment, to ensure that the shape of the marina was cut to within a tolerance of 100mm to the original design. Over 2.5km of erosion protection was installed around the perimeter banks of the marina, in the form of pre-planted coir rolls and rip rap stone punched into the marina banks.

Oak posts were braced in the trench and concrete poured to stabilize, oak boards were then fixed to the posts to form a continuous  revetment system. Top soil was back—filled on the outside of the lake between the boards and the inside of the liner to create a growing medium. An oak Jetty was constructed by setting the upright oak posts in concrete and waterproofing to the liner.

On completion, a layer of shingle was laid over the inside of the lake to hide the liner. And to achieve a high level of water clarity Land & Water Services were the Principle Contractor for the project with Johnny Glover as the Contracts Manager.

The designer was Casper Gadd of Natural Elements Design LLP. The site was levelled and compacted with the excavated material won from the lake and used to make up the ground to achieve an earthworks “balance” Having excavated the lake, 50m x 30m, an anchor trench was installed to take the underlay, reinforced liner and protective overlay.