Female engineer wearing safety helmet and vest is walking on a green field, inspecting the area with binoculars and holding a clipboard, ensuring sustainable energy development, representing Land Quality Service

Karen Thornton, NHBC’s Land Quality Service Manager since November 2021, spoke with us about the last 20 years of Land Quality Service and how this team of experts support builders and developers across the country

Established nearly 90 years ago in 1936, NHBC introduced its first two-year building warranty in the 1940s, followed by the 10-year warranty in 1965.

This was the foundation for the current Buildmark policy, which consists of deposit protection, a two-year builder warranty period backed by the NHBC resolution service and eight years’ insurance cover against damage caused by defects in the property’s structure.

Land Quality Service was introduced in 2005 to support the house-building industry by de-risking land intended for residential development.

What are the benefits of Land Quality Service?

Land Quality Service (LQS) benefits those looking to remove uncertainty over whether a site is suitable for future housing development in three important ways:

1. Reducing risk: You can rest assured that the team has thoroughly reviewed the investigation, ground remediation proposals and verification works.

2. Adding value: Land that is already de-risked has increased value, offering a greater return on investment.

3. Access to experienced industry specialists: The LQS team can tailor and independently review proposals at any stage of the development.

Engaging with the experts

The LQS team comprises of eight chartered engineers: three geotechnical specialists, four geo-environmental specialists and a technical manager. They have worked on some of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK and share around 200 years of experience between them.

By engaging with LQS to deliver data-led risk management at the pre-development stage you can increase and retain land value offering a greater return on investment. You can also increase efficiency on your project by potentially designing out or solving problems before they occur, saving time and money.

As Karen Thornton, NHBC’s Land Quality Service Manager, explains: “The LQS team delve into the details of a project to highlight any possible problems. They also work in partnership with our customers to ensure workable solutions, including opinion on whether foundation systems or remediation solutions are acceptable. They will detail any outstanding technical matters that need to be resolved to achieve acceptance before or during development.”

Stages of assessment

NHBC’s Land Quality Service is split into three stages of assessment in line with NHBC Standards 4.1 (Land quality – managing ground conditions).

Stage one: Hazards Identification/ Evaluation

The first stage is a desk study appraisal of the findings of site investigations to ensure important hazards are identified and adequately assessed and can be used to inform future design needs.

Stage two: Managing the Risks

The second stage, Managing the Risk, involves judging the suitability of the chosen remedial or earthwork solutions against NHBC Standards to address or mitigate hazards.

At the second stage, the proposal is reviewed more thoroughly, particularly the foundation approach and the compatibility of solutions. Groundworks solutions and any other matters that might be impacted are considered and risks are reviewed.

Stage three: Documentation and Verification

The third and final stage confirms that the stated remedial works have achieved their pre-agreed objectives and that the evidence demonstrates compliance with NHBC Standards. LQS specialist engineers will visit at key milestones during the assessment of the works, but the service can be flexible to meet the needs of specific projects.

Achieving Land Quality Service certification

The certificate will display which of the three stages of the service has been provided and what phase of development the land has reached. It also gives further details of the assessment, including the specific foundation system considered, other workable solutions and any outstanding matters that would need to be resolved before or during development.

Who would benefit from NHBC’s Land Quality Service?

The LQS team has worked on a range of regeneration schemes across the UK. The team are available to support builders (whether registered with NHBC or not), strategic land developers, local authorities, development agencies, land agents and anyone looking for specialist land quality advice on sites intended for residential development.

In addition to providing informed advice and insight on the acceptability of foundation solutions, they can outline remediation expectations for any outstanding technical matters that should be resolved before or during development.

Land that has an NHBC Land Quality Certificate is already de-risked. By engaging with the LQS team, you can ensure there has been a thorough review of the investigation, land remediation work proposals and verification worksfor compliance with NHBC Standards for development. This gives confidence in the site prior to registration with NHBC for warranty.

Karen Thornton highlighted the importance of involving LQS early in the development process: “Engaging early will provide the best results and allow the team to deliver data-led risk management at the pre-development stage. This can potentially increase and retain land value, offering a greater return on investment and saving time and money by understanding and addressing problems before they occur.”

To find out more visit nhbc.co.uk/landquality

*Please note that this is a commercial profile.

The post Celebrating 20 years of NHBC’s Land Quality Service appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.

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Celebrating 20 years of NHBC’s Land Quality Service
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